This Christmas you might want to spice up your sex life with adult toys.
However, sexologists and doctors warn users to be careful because even if a sex toy is advertised as safe online, there may be dangerous reasons why you should reconsider its use.
Sweden-based certified sexologist Sofie Roos told DailyMail.com that some of these potentially harmful toys include silicone objects that can get stuck in the rectum, long metal tubes that can damage the urethra and rigid metal chastity cages, which can ‘crack the penis’ strangle’.
Experts also worry about “losing” objects in the rectum and infections that can result from improperly cleaned devices.
These can cause your most vulnerable areas to become bruised, cut, or permanently damaged.
A 2023 study from the University of Rochester suggested that these types of injuries are more common than people realize, as an estimated 4,000 Americans go to the hospital every year with objects stuck in their rectum.
Yet many of these devices are sold online without warning, ranging from $16 to $30.
Firstly, A&E doctors are warning against the use of metal ‘c*** rings’ and chastity cages, which are designed to put pressure on the penis. This can theoretically improve blood flow and erections, making sex more pleasurable or longer lasting.
Researchers from the University of Rochester, New York, found that men are more likely than women to come to the hospital with a foreign object in their rectum. However, they suggested this may be down to reporting bias, as women were less likely to insert non-sexual objects into their rectum, making it less likely their case would be recorded.
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These devices are relatively safe if they are made of flexible materials such as silicon or plastic. That’s because even if they get stuck, they are easy for doctors to remove.
However, if someone chooses to use a metal version of this toy and something goes wrong, doctors don’t always have the resources to free someone.
By 2022, emergency medicine physician in California Dr. Alana Kinrich warned the public against the use of titanium cock rings in particular.
She said that if you come to the hospital with one, it will “result in us having to call the fire department to get their diamond saw.”
“This is a very unwanted experience for everyone involved.”
In the time it takes to remove the device from the area, the loss of blood flow can be so severe that it damages tissue, causing a person to lose sensation in their penis.
This is called ‘penile strangulation’.
It is also possible that you may develop cuts or bruises on the member itself, which can be painful and leave scar tissue. This can also affect sexual function.
Even with these caveats, these devices are still sold online. On Etsy, someone can buy a metal chastity device for $35, which comes bundled with a diaper.
On Amazon, someone can buy a stainless steel ring for their penis for $17.
Next, when it comes to putting things in the rectum, Dr. Kinrich said people should avoid anything that is fragile or doesn’t have a flared base.
Having a flared base on the end of an anus or vaginal sex toy ensures that the user has something to grab onto to remove it, even against the strong suction of their muscles.
If a person arrives at the emergency department with a carbide ring on the penis, doctors may not have the tools on hand to remove it and may need to call in other responders, who have more intensive hardware to remove the device.
Experts warned that metal chastity cages pose the same risks as metal cock rings, and are also difficult to remove in an emergency
A round object that is difficult to grasp is more likely to become stuck in the body, where only a doctor can remove it.
According to University of Rochester Health Services: ‘Never insert anything into the anus that does not have a flared base – the reason for this is that the anus, unlike the vagina, does not have an “end”.’
It added: ‘This is most likely to happen during an orgasm as your muscles contract and create a sort of vacuum effect, causing the toy to be sucked in.’
Similarly, Ms Roos told DailyMail.com to be wary of inflatable butt plugs.
Roos said: ‘The inflatable butt plug is also dirty and can cause damage if you inflate it too much. It is inserted like a normal sized butt plug, and you pump it up with air as it is inserted into your anal, allowing you to pump it much larger than you could normally insert.”
On Amazon, someone can purchase one of these devices for $25.
Swedish sexologist Sofie Roos specifically warned against inflatable butt plugs, which can allow someone to have a much larger object in their buttocks than they can normally tolerate
The product description reads: ‘This anchor-shaped anal plug can be pushed in while it is less than 5cm in diameter and 7cm long, and then inflated to approximately 15cm deep and 17.5cm wide!’
After the rectum, Roos told DailyMail.com about devices used in the urethra. This is the tube that carries urine out of the body in both men and women.
In a practice called sounding, men insert rods, tubes, or fluid into their urethra for sexual pleasure.
Rose said: ‘My biggest caveat… is the penis plug that is inserted into the urethra.’
This can be performed safely in a doctor’s office, but urologists do not recommend doing it at home because the risk of losing an object, getting stuck, or causing internal damage is much more likely if it is done by a novice is being executed.
Improper technique can also cause a person to have blood in the urine, pelvic pain, and tissue damage.
Probing rods, which are inserted into the urethra, can cause internal damage to the penis
Additionally, using an improperly cleaned device can cause serious urinary tract infections, which can lead to kidney infections and death if left untreated.
Metal gauge rods can be purchased online for $22.
Even if you don’t buy risky toys, Edward Buhler, the director of BodyJoys, an online sex shop based in Britain, told this website that there are still risks when it comes to these products.
The main thing health workers are concerned about: hygiene.
Buhler told DailyMail.com: ‘The newer toys are generally made of silicone and other body-safe materials, but there are still materials that are not healthy for the user’s body.’
So it’s paramount that you buy a product that’s made from body-safe materials and is easy to clean, Buhler says.
This greatly reduces the risk of infection and ensures that your genitals remain fully functional for many sessions to come.