Abstract
In a sample of men who have sex with men (N = 404), 55 (14%) experienced anodyspareunia, frequent and severe pain during receptive anal sex. Most men with anodyspareunia described their pain as life-long, experienced psychological distress as a result, and avoided anal sex for periods of time. Men with anodyspareunia reported that psychological factors were the primary contributing cause of their pain. The findings contradict the myth that pain is a necessary consequence of receptive anal sex and show that anodyspareunia is similar to dyspareunia in women in terms of prevalence, mental health consequences, and contributing factors. Clinical criteria were developed to assist clinicians in diagnosing anodyspareunia.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 129-141 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2005 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:These data were collected as part of the pre-evaluation surveys for the Man-to-Man Sexual Health Seminars. The authors acknowledge the Minnesota Department of Health AIDS/STD Prevention Services Section for funding this prevention program through grant number H12 19G10016935, Walter Bockting, Ph.D., who co-wrote the curriculum and data instruments, the staff of Man-to-Man for running the seminars, and Mr. Weston Edwards who coordinated the seminars and oversaw data collection.