This Is How Many People Are Having Anal Sex

More and more ladies are putting a welcome mat by the back door: 36 percent of women and 42 percent of men have tried anal sex, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Butt play has been around since the dawn of time, but it’s become more common over the last 20 or 30 years as the stigma has disappeared, says Kimberly McBride, Ph.D., a sex researcher at the University of Toledo. Now that Maya Rudolph has screamed about anal bleaching on Bridesmaids and thousands of free anal clips are available on PornHub, more people are interested in testing the waters, she says.

Still, not everyone who tries it makes it a regular part of their sex lives. Only 8 percent of women have had anal in the last month, according to a study from Indiana University.

“A lot of women say that it’s a special occasion thing,” McBride says. “They’ll only do it on his birthday or Valentine’s Day.”

But here’s a little secret: It doesn’t have to be a favor on her part.