Here's When You Can Use Anal Beads Postpartum

You've probably heard time and again that you can't resume regular sexual activity right after giving birth. Most experts agree that you should wait four to six weeks after postpartum to engage in intercourse with your partner, and only after your doctor has given you the OK. But that doesn't mean that all sexual activity is off the table. Couple who enjoy anal sex, for example, may be wondering how soon can you use anal beads after giving birth?

Postpartum masturbation focusing on the clitoris and oral sex after giving birth are definitely fine for most couples, but what about those that enjoy anal sex as well? To find an answer, Romper spoke with Eric Marlowe Garrison, sex counselor and internationally best-selling author of  Mastering Multiple Position Sex.

Marlowe Garrison says that anal intercourse is still completely safe during pregnancy, as long as STIs (including Zika) are not an issue for the couple. After giving birth, however, anal sex may be more difficult. A woman's body changes in many different ways during and after pregnancy, and she may have postpartum rectal bleeding which affects her ability to enjoy anal intercourse after giving birth.

"Some mothers develop hemorrhoids during pregnancy (and more often than not, during childbirth), so that can inhibit any desire to have anal sex," Marlowe Garrison tells Romper. "If there was an episiotomy or traumatic birth, anal intercourse should be off the table until everything is healed and the integrity of the rectum has returned."

Once everything has healed, however, you should be free to return to your regular (anal) sexual routine. Anal beads and other anal sex toys are safe to use once you feel comfortable. The especially good news is that, according to Marlowe Garrison, it's possible that it will be easier for your rectum to tolerate and feel pleasure from anal beads and smaller toys before introducing larger toys or a penis.

He also recommends that couples attempt anal sex with the male partner as the recipient, either with beads, toys, or a strap-on in an act also known as "pegging," since that doesn't require any waiting.

"I always say, if a man wants to penetrate his partner anally with his penis, he should be pegged at least once prior," Marlowe Garrison says. "Then and only then will he understand the roles of lube, pressure, and trust — with trust being the most vital 'lube' for anal intercourse."

If you're interesting in using anal beads or having anal sex postpartum, make sure that you are feeling comfortable with your partner. Be sure to fully communicate with your partner about how you're feeling, have them go slowly at first, and stop if you start to feel some pain. But if you're feeling OK, then go ahead and enjoy yourself — with the anal beads and anything else you like.