Are sex toys safe?

Written by: Funmi Akingbade

Culled from The Punch

Sex toys seem to be everywhere these days. But the question is: are they advisable and healthy? Is there any harm in using sex toys? My husband would only enjoy sex get a good orgasm only when he had used a hard banana on me lubricated with menthol during foreplay before he starts off the actual thrusting in and out. I do not mind initially but now it has become a habit. He says it is homemade sex toys that he likes experimenting with because of their textures. He says that without them, he cannot get sexually connected to me. Do sex toys really promote sexual harmony? How many times per day can we use them and how long can someone become addicted to sex toys?


Are there bad and good sex toys? Are there any side effects from their use? Is there any harm if I use a carrot instead of a dildo/vibrator? My friends introduced me to some form of natural methods like the use of running warm water to arouse myself before my husband comes in (because it takes me ages to get aroused) than the use of sex toys. Which one do you think is appropriate? I was shopping online for sex toys and came across a site that seems very knowledgeabl. There, they say the only safe kind of sex toy to use is silicone. They claim that most sex toys have cancer-causing ingredients. Are there dangers of getting cancer from using sex toys?

These and many more are the questions many clients have asked me over the years as regard the object of sex toys.

A sex toy or adult toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate human sexual pleasure, such as a dildo or vibrator, rings etc. Many popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals and are vibrating or non-vibrating, colourful or just natural and intended to stimulate the body. They come in a range of shapes, sizes, for internal or external use. Some researchers says that 41 percent of couples have used some form of sex toys during foreplay, and up to 29 per cent of couples have used one during intercourse. People who have sex regularly use sex toys more than those who aren’t, and between 20-30 per cent of people have used sex toys at least once in their lives. The sex toys industry makes a lot of money due to popular demand all over the globe.

This means people who use sex toys are not faceless as everyone and anyone you can imagine is the kind of person who can or may use sex toys. Many couples want to know if using sex toys can transform their sex lives from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Sex toys are not the best teachers or a cure-all for sex between couples. They are additional aids to sexual satisfaction. Many couples who have experimented with these devices see sex toys as a great way of adding stimulation and excitement to their sex lives. Some even claim these toys boost the chances of them having good orgasms through intercourse. So sex toys are not only for people who have a bad sex life, or no sex life; sex toys are just for added stimulation, excitement and pleasure. As much as there may not be anything harmful about the usage (as long as they’re used in a mature way and properly within the marriage union), sex toys can become addictive. It is well known that addiction implies harm, when solidly relied upon. Of course, prolonged use of sex toys makes sex less natural.

Some couples who for one reason or the other have a long distance relationship want to know if sex toys can actually replace their spouses for the main time or for life. For the main time, yes (if this is inevitable and the only reasonable option). This is still better than adultery or unfaithfulness in marriage. But for a lifetime, no sex toy should not be a replacement for your partner. A sex toy won’t make you breakfast, have urges or cuddle you. It won’t tell you how much it loves you. Many spouses are struggling to get their position back with their partners. Some have become confused and believe that the most important thing about them is what’s between their legs.

Some sex toys do pose obvious risks of damage or harm to the genitalia. A study on HIV-positive users of sex toys in the United States says such partners easily infect their spouses. Studies also show that some of these devices could be toxic. The composition of some sex toys makes them allergic in nature and can cause irritation and skin infection. When users are exposed to very large doses, such toxic items can cause damage to the liver, lungs, kidneys, testes. They can also cause hormonal disruption, upset the body’s ability to regulate hormone production, damage reproduction, can also possibly cause cancer.

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