Dear Dr. Milrod:

In the past, I have only received rimjobs, so this hasn’t been an issue for me. But recently I have been thinking about giving anilingus.  However, I am wondering how soon after a person defecates are they considered rim-ready?  Or is a part of the pleasure of performing a rimjob on another person knowing you are “cleaning” him/her? That does turn me on a little, but it seems wrong too.

Poopie Night

Dear Poopie Night:

That’s an interesting question, since a person who has emptied his/her bowels is empty. So as soon as the excrement has gone through the chute and the person has washed the peri-anal area, what’s there to stop you? You would be more at risk for getting some excrement on your tongue if you rimmed before the person had evacuated his/her bowels, particularly if s/he were to “let go.” Does it seem “wrong” from a moral standpoint? Worse things have been consumed, although the infection risk from eating someone else’s excrement is quite high. On the other hand, I am not a fan of giving unprotected anilingus. If you stick your tongue in a condom and use a dental dam around the area, the infection risk is substantially lessened. But if you stick your bare tongue in there, you’d better make sure the receiver is immunized against hepatitis A and B. And then there’s anal herpes; a substantial minority of people with genital HSV-2 have anal recurrent outbreaks, even if the initial infection was not in the anal area.

Christine Milrod, Ph.D.