For those who have never heard of it before, coprophagia, or the practice of eating your own or another person’s feces, may give new meaning to the term “sexual appetite.” Coprophagia is often a component of the wider term coprophilia, which refers to getting sexual pleasure from the excretion of human feces, whether it’s from its smell, touch, taste or sight. Scat is another term for feces, and scat sex or scat play refers to using scat in sexual activities. Although playing with someone’s scat is generally regarded as safe if proper protection is used (think latex gloves, dental dams, washing with soap before and after sex), eatingsomeone else’s scat—or even your own—can greatly increase your risk of infections. Feces can contain a variety of disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and parasitic worms. This doesn’t mean that eating feces is necessarily poisonous, but it can make someone sick. 

Shigella, vibrio, salmonella, and Escherichia coli (abbreviated as E. coli) are four bacteria commonly present in fecal matter. These bacteria, along with parasites like amoebas and giardia, can cause severe diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping, bloody stools, fever, nausea and vomiting. Both hepatitis A and E may also be transmitted through contact with fecal matter. While there are very few cases of hepatitis E in the United States (US)—it’s mostly common in developing regions with contaminated freshwater supply and inadequate sanitation. Hepatitis A, on the other hand, is frequently reported.

Aside from direct fecal consumption, many of these infections can occur just by being in close contact with feces. If your mouth, nose, or any orifice or open cuts or sores touches something that’s had contact with feces (e.g., kissing an unwashed hand after using the bathroom or drinking water contaminated by infected fecal matter), infection is possible as well. 

The best way to prevent infection is to limit direct contact between orifices and fecal matter. This might mean refraining from licking of the anus (known as rimming) or using a protective barrier such as a dental dam to cover the anus if you choose to engage in that activity. It can also be important to make sure any objects that are inserted in the anus are kept away from the mouth until they have been properly cleaned. Using condoms during anal sex can also help reduce the possibility of being exposed fecal matter, especially if you plan to engage in oral sex after anal sex has occurred. For those with a vulva, there’s an additional concern regarding urinary tract and vaginal infections, which can be caused when bacteria present in fecal matter enter or come into contact with the vulva. This is way it can be important to practice proper hygiene and wiping techniques.  

The idea of experimenting with scat play might heat things up in the bedroom (or bathroom, or anywhere else you choose), and it can be helpful to consider the risks of a behavior before experimenting. Hoping this information has helped curb your curiosity.