Hey douchebags! How do YOU douche?

A lot of gay men use douches and enemas.

So.... IRMA (International Rectal Microbicide Advocates) has teamed up with UCLA on a juicy new survey - this one on the very exciting topic of rectal douching and enemas.

Take the survey in English.

This survey is designed to help scientists and advocates better understand the types of products people use rectally for anal sex including lubricants and enemas or douches. They want to learn more about  rectal practices and behaviors that may affect the risk for sexually transmitted infections among people who practice anal intercourse.

We hope LifeLube readers will fill out this brief anonymous survey (estimated time to complete: less than 15 minutes).

Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese and Russian versions of the survey are in the works now. Watch this space - we will let you know when they are ready.

In the meantime, please take the survey in English and share this link widely. Thanks!

Insert Discourse: Rectal Douching Among Young HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Men Who Have Sex with Men in Vancouver, Canada

Via Sexulaity and Culture by Arn J. Schilder, Treena R. Orchard, Christopher S. Buchner, Steffanie A. Strathdee, Robert S. Hogg

Abstract:

 Douching is a common practice among certain groups of women and MSM, and it is conducted for the purpose of cleanliness as part of bodily hygiene maintenance. Although there has been considerable research about female vaginal douching, understandings of rectal douching (RD) for MSM are limited.

In the epidemiological and medical literature, RD is presented as a behaviour that removes beneficial bacteria and the surface epithelium layer of the colon, which can, potentially, increase the risk of HIV transmission in MSM. The paucity of research on male douching practices is curious given the primacy of anal sex in HIV prevention initiatives and the widespread nature of rectal douching among this population.

This paper provides preliminary data on RD and is intended to engender a dialogue about male douching and the need for additional research into the cultural construction of the body among MSM, namely with respect to the anus. Findings were derived from qualitative interviews with 12 young HIV-positive men who had recently become HIV-infected and 12 HIV-negative age-matched counterparts who were participating in a prospective cohort study. Beliefs about RD differed according to HIV serostatus; HIV-positive men discussed the practice much more openly than their counterparts did.

Pre-coital RD is an embedded behaviour about which very little is known. However, it is a critical issue to include in the development of effective HIV prevention strategies and warrants an acknowledgement of importance of the anus in the lives, sexual practices, and identities among MSM.

For the full study click here.

Make it fresh for daddy

Bottoms rejoice!

Enemas are not just for blockage anymore. This new one is for health and cleanliness...

via Joe.My.God

“We’ve always known that some of our consumers were using Fleet enemas for reasons other than to relieve constipation, so we wanted to develop a product that would meet the needs of those users and provide them with a safe way to cleanse and frequently if desired,” [Fleet brand manager Emily] Klopp said. Fleet sells about $30 million in enemas annually and dominates the market, Klopp said. It’s unclear the exact size of the market because Wal-Mart and other stores sell private-label brands and do not disclose their sales. The new version hits shelves at CVS drug stores and Target this month, followed by Walgreens next month and Rite-Aid in June. Wal-Mart is the only major retailer so far to balk at carrying it, Klopp said.

Read the whole post.

An enema with special powers?

Why Rectal Douches May Be Acceptable Rectal-Microbicide Delivery Vehicles for Men Who Have Sex With Men

Abstract via Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Carballo-Diéguez, Alex PHD; Bauermeister, José PHD; Ventuneac, Ana PHD; Dolezal, Curtis PHD; Mayer, Kenneth MD

Rationale: To explore age of onset of rectal douching among men who have sex with men (MSM) and reasons leading to and maintaining douching behavior; and to consider whether rectal douches containing microbicidal agents might be acceptable for men at HIV risk.

Methods: In stage 1, we used qualitative methods to explore douching behavior in a sample of 20 MSM. Subsequently, we developed a structured questionnaire that was administered in stage 2 to 105 MSM.

Results: More than half of participants who completed stage 1 douched during the trial despite having been advised not to do so. Of the 105 human immunodeficiency virus uninfected participants in stage 2, 51% reported using rectal douches in the prior 6 months; 47% douched before and 25% after anal intercourse. Most participants reported douching frequently or always. On average, men reported douching about 2 hours before or 1 hour following intercourse. Average age of onset was late 20s. Most men who douched wanted to be clean or were encouraged to douche by their partners. Some men thought douching after sex could prevent sexually transmitted infections.

Conclusion: Rectal douching appears to be a popular behavior among men who have receptive anal intercourse. It is necessary to identify harmless douches. If human immunodeficiency virus or sexually transmitted infections preventive douches can be developed, rectal douching before or following sexual intercourse could become an important additional prevention tool. To reshape an existing behavior to which some men strongly adhere, like douching, by suggesting use of 1 type of douche over another may be more successful than trying to convince MSM to engage in behaviors they never practiced before or those they resist (e.g., condom use).

(C) Copyright 2009 American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association

Is douching all its cracked up to be?

It is generally considered good manners to present your partner with a clean bottom before getting fucked. However, is it necessary to clean yourself internally by douching before a nice juicy cock finds itself up there? Not always, and some, including the charity Gay Men Fighting Aids, would advise not at all.

The fact is that douching can irritate the lining of your rectum and bowel and make it more susceptable to infection and injury, even if you only use plain warm water*. The lower bowel and rectum are coated with anal mucus which help to protect you and to lubricate the passing of faeces.

When you douche, you wash away this protective coating, and this means that your rectum has no barrier to protect it from injury, infection or irritation caused by the fucking.

The primary purpose of your bottom is to pass faeces from the body (really!). As you digest food and it passes through the digestive system, slowly more and more water is absorbed from the faeces by the bowel and this absorption process even continues in the rectum.

Read the rest, via the Mothership Blog (UK)

Darkroom safety tips

by Tony Valenzuela, via The Guide

I was christened into the rituals of darkroom sex by blunder. New York's Wonder Bar in the East Village had a walk-in-closet-sized backroom when I visited in 1995. I entered through a tarp-like curtain and paused at the doorway, hesitating long enough to annoy the breathy men inside who glowered at the beam of light I was allowing to slice through the room. Using my hands as eyes I treaded carefully, shifting through gropes and hairy tentacles and settling on some thick arms that shoved me to the ground. When I was vertical again and ready to leave I dusted myself off, patted myself down and noticed my wallet was no longer in my back pocket.

Read the rest.