Christmas sex toy warning: Experts urge you to steer clear of chastity 'cages' trends now
Many people may be looking forward to a sexy surprise in their stockings this festive season. But experts have urged the public to beware of some of the most dangerous sex toys available online.
Avoid metal penis cages and restrain from inserting 35cm vibrating wires inside your urethra are just some of the tips on offer.
And steer clear of an utterly creepy device, a life-size silicone baby, which claims to allow men to experience the 'miracle of childbirth'.
Experts warn the risks of using some of the items range from an embarrassing trip to A&E to retrieve a 'lost' object, to life-long complications from damaging internal tissues.
Experts warned the lack of a flared base on some anal sex toys, like 'male pregnancy' simulator, the 'Bundle of Joy', made them at greater risk of getting stuck inside
People in their 20s were the most likely to get an object stuck in their rectum followed by people in their early 50s
The study found the incidence of objects having to be removed from rectums is on the rise with cases particularly growing in men
Dildos and butt plugs are some of the most familiar sex toys.
But poorly-designed ones, lacking safety features designed to prevent them getting lost or stuck inside, can result in agony instead of ecstasy.
Hundreds of Britons need to be rushed to A&E each year for an emergency extraction every year.
The reason they pursue such an insertion in the first place is partly to do with the number of nerves in the anus that make it highly sensitive.
The act can also stimulate the prostate in men, an erogenous part of the male reproductive system.
And for women, it can also indirectly stimulate parts of the vagina.
But the practise can cause damage if done incorrectly, resulting in tearing and bleeding of anus, incontinence, and potentially perforating the bowel.
The latter, while rare, can be deadly as material from the digestive tract spills into other parts of the body, causing an infection.
Some medical case reports have detailed such injuries being caused by 77cm sex toys used in combination with alcohol.
NHS sexual health experts recommend people interested in anal stimulation use small toys at first, deploy plenty of lubrication, and ensure they only use a toy with a flared base.
The latter is key to avoiding an embarrassing trip to hospital, with the wider base of the sex toy stopping the item from getting 'lost' or stuck inside.
One object experts definitely don't recommend inserting into yourself is the 'Bundle of Joy', a silicone sex toy shaped like a newborn baby, that is roughly two-and-a-half soft drink cans in size.
The 'male pregnancy' simulator, that sells for about £60 online, is designed to be shoved inside a man's rectum, who then proceeds to 'birth' the toy.
It is described online as 'a therapeutic means for anyone to simulate this most natural, wholesome, life-affirming event'.
The creators, who list it as a sex toy, said the inspiration behind it was 'to allow any person, regardless of gender, an opportunity to experience to some degree the miracle of childbirth'.
Samantha Evans, a former nurse who founded sex toy business Jo Divine and who also advises the NHS on sex toys, said something like the 'Bundle of Joy' was unsafe as there was nothing to stop it getting stuck.
‘If you’re going to use an anal toy it really needs to have a flared base,’ she said.
‘We wouldn’t really recommend anything other than using a toy with a flared base.'
She said there are many risks with using the wrong toy for anal play, ranging from tearing tissues to causing bleeding.
‘There’s a huge potential for damage,’ she said.
In addition to only using sex toys with a flared base for anal pleasure, Ms Evans also recommended people use plenty of an appropriate lubrication.
Jasmine Johnson, lead psychotherapist at Blue Pearl Therapy and adult film creator, also advised people to use toys with flanges, a protective rim stopping them from getting lost inside, similar to a flared base.
'Simply put, toys will work their way up the rectum as a natural reaction to stimulation; so the flanges help avoid a stressful situation of a toy getting stuck in an unwanted position or unwanted period of time,' she said.
Another sex toy that experts have urged Britons to avoid is the use of metal constriction devices on their penises.
The devices include metal penis rings, which sold for as little as £3 online, and constrict the flesh around the penis.
This traps blood in the genitals to make the organ slightly larger by the associated swelling or to last longer during sex.
Experts warned that metal chastity cages carried some of the same risks as metallic penis rings, being difficult to remove in an emergency
Other risks of the devices, available for about £40 on online retailer Etsy, include can cause direct trauma to the penis due to their intentionally tight confines
Another similar device is chastity cages, which sell for about £40 online, and which encase a flaccid penis in a moulded metal prison fastened with a lock.
In contrast to penis rings, chastity cages are designed to prevent erections due to their tight confines, and additionally are intended to be worn for long periods.
Fans find this pain pleasurable as an aspect of BDSM (bondage, domination, sadism and masochism).
But both devices don't come without risk. They can get stuck — effectively strangling the penis.
Apart from an embarrassing trip
