anal masturbation feels good, but then I notice I'm bleeding

[nitrogen]

I like to masturbate by putting either fingers or sex toys up my ass. I'm generally a very careful person about this. I go slowly, use lots of lube, keep my nails trimmed, and wear gloves. I've had a problem recently where I notice blood on my toys or fingers during or after anal masturbation. While I'm masturbating, though, it feels good. If it matters, the blood always seems to be coming from inside my rectum, not from the anus itself. How can I tell whether I'm harming myself if it doesn't hurt or anything? I'm tired of this cycle of having to wait a week after bleeding before I feel safe doing anything anally, enjoying myself again, noticing I'm bleeding, and having to wait a week again.

Also, is waiting a week after bleeding excessive? I'm a trans guy and masturbating anally is one of the few ways that doesn't cause gender dysphoria/does cause gender euphoria, and having to go a week without it each time sucks.

There's never very much blood, and it never lasts after I stop actively masturbating. Am I risking long-term injury by causing repeated minor bleeding?

Thank you!

[Heather]

Hey there, nitrogen. Welcome to the boards.

My best advice would be to check in with a healthcare provider. If you're not experiencing pain, it seems very unlikely it's anything serious, but it could be that you have something like fissures or hemorrhoids that need treatment and/or where you may need to take a break from anal masturbation until they heal.

In terms of what the right amount of time to wait is, I'd say that really depends on the cause of the bleeding: we'd have to know what that is first to say.

Do you have a healthcare provider you feel safe seeing for this?

[nitrogen]

Thank you! I do have a gastroenterologist I saw once who I can ask about this, but I was hoping not to have to (I know that doctors talk about sex stuff all the time, but it's still embarrassing).

Does this mean that I'll have to stop all anal play until I see a doctor? I forgot to mention, but the issue seems limited to when I'm using thrusting motions with a dildo or fingers. Butt plugs have never made me bleed. Do you think it would be generally safe for me to keep using butt plugs until I can ask my doctor about it, or should I refrain altogether? Also, are there any harm reduction tips for if I do choose to continue masturbating anally with plugs while I wait to see a doctor? I want to be as safe as possible even if I'm tempted to do something anally.

[Heather]

Personally -- and I'm sorry, I know this isn't the wanted answer -- I'd wait until I got myself checked out. Any kind of wound (and if there's bleeding, there's some kind of wound) makes you vulnerable to infection. By all means, using gloves and covering your toys makes that less likely, but having some kind of wound makes that risk pretty high, so the barriers only mitigate things so much.

Plus, something like untreated fissures can mean that each time you reopen them, that it becomes harder and harder for them to heal or you might develop some scar tissue, even, which could certainly impede upon the enjoyment you get from that part of your anatomy.

I do think rather than needing to ask someone, you will need to actually be seen. This is just something someone is not going to be able to know what's-what unless they can look at it with a visual exam.

But if you just don't want to wait until then and want some harm reduction tips for this, that'd basically be doing what you are doing, using gloves, and then if using toys, I'd use a condom as a barrier. I'd also suggest washing what you can of your anus and rectum both before and after to help reduce any bacteria in the mix that could cause infection if you have a wound that happens or opens back up.

[nitrogen]

(I tried responding already, but it didn't seem to go through. Sorry if this posts twice.)

Thank you! You're right, that's not the advice I wanted to hear, but that doesn't mean it's not the advice I needed. I'll schedule an appointment for an exam to see if my doctor can help me figure this out.

[Heather]

You're welcome. Like I said, I really doubt it's anything to worry about, but I hope you're alright and that this gets resolved quickly and painlessly for you.