"Objectives: This study explores how young women learn about anal sex and the sources of information they use, with a particular focus on information received from health care providers.
Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 29 young women aged 18–24 who reported any lifetime experience of anal intercourse. Interviews lasted up to 90 min and were audio-recorded, transcribed, verified and coded in ATLAS.ti. Themes related to sources of information, sex education, and perceptions and conversations with health care providers about anal sex were explored.
Results: Young women described a dearth of information about anal sex gained via formal avenues, such as school education or health care providers, and relied more on information accessed through informal channels. These information sources included those gained passively from friends, partners, pornography or erotica, or information they accessed through the internet (e.g., health-related websites and web-video channels). Very few women reported ever having spoken with a health care provider about it; most said it had not come up, and had perceptions that clinicians were not interested in or comfortable with discussing matters related to sex beyond pregnancy risk.
Conclusions: Anal sex is a common sexual practice among heterosexual women but remains a taboo topic for discussion or education even in arenas where such discussion belongs. This leaves many young women unaware of the risks associated with anal