Lesson number one: "Always wipe from front to back," says Alyssa Dweck, M.D., an ob-gyn and author of V is for Vagina. "Wiping from back to front can bring bacteria from the rectum toward the urethra and increase your chances of a urinary tract infection," she explains.
Wiping from front to back is especially important for people with a vagina. This is because it prevents fecal matter from entering the urethra, the opening where urine exits the body. 1 Accidental exposure to fecal matter is one of the leading causes of this type of urinary tract infection.
Wiping Front to Back
You'll be moving feces away from your more delicate parts, lowering the risk of infection. This prevents the transmission of bacteria and goes a long way in preventing UTIs or an itchy, uncomfortable bum.
54% said front to back, which is how you're supposed to do it for hygiene reasons, especially if you're a woman. Another 7% said they use a bidet . . . and 5% said they wipe in a DIFFERENT way.
In terms of how Americans wipe, more say they wipe in the doctor-recommended direction from front to back (51%) than from back to front (20%). Front-to-back wiping is more common among women (61%) than among men (40%).
However, he notes that UTI-causing bacteria can come from a range of places and infect the urethra during sexual activity. According to the Mayo Clinic, which also recommends wiping front to back to prevent UTIs, this bacteria can also come from other sources outside the body.
Try to keep it light and make it fun. Make it a good part of her daily routine and praise her achievements. Talk positively and reassure her every time she uses the toilet paper correctly and wipes herself front to back. Watch when she does it and be supportive when she doesn't get it right.
While a Reddit user surveyed 950 participants—626 identified as male, 306 identified as female, and 18 people put their gender as “other”—they found that 65.7% of respondents wipe sitting down and 34.3% wipe standing up. But even though standing wipers may be in the minority, they do exist.
As you can see, when it comes to wiping, if children are given the opportunity to learn, they are typically capable of doing this by around 24 months (2 years old.)
Though there is a proper way to keep your butt clean, it generally seems as though even the cleanest wipers of both kinds didn't realize that the other existed until very, very recently. According to a social media poll, most men sit down – and didn't know of any other way until now.
After wadding up a ball of toilet paper (or neatly folding a few sheets), "reach either behind you or between your legs, if that's easier" to make the front-to-back wiping motion, said Dr. Borkar. Keep wiping until all the poop is gone and you feel clean.
Urine is generally sterile, but bacteria from feces may spread and contaminate surfaces you're unwashed hands touched. I had quite a discussion with a male friend on the subject of washing your hands after urinating. I consider it unnecessary. There are no bacteria in urine.
You see, when you don't clean yourself down there after peeing, the urine droplets stuck in your pubes get transferred to your underwear. This gives rise to a foul odour. Moreover, it also gives birth to bacteria in your underwear, increasing the risk of urinary tract infections (UTI).
Common causes of fecal incontinence include diarrhea, constipation, and muscle or nerve damage. The muscle or nerve damage may be associated with aging or with giving birth.
She goes on to explain,"when you are wiping more than two or three times, that is called faecal smearing.. "So it is essentially when too much faecal matter stays at the entrance of the anus even after you have finished your poo."
There's no hard and fast rule to how many times you should wipe, as every bowel movement is different. The best rule of thumb is to continue to use additional sheets of toilet paper until you feel clean. A quick glance at the paper can also help tell you if your bottom is clean or not (it's okay.
An anal fissure is a tear in the skin of the anus that results after the passage of hard stool or from the trauma of excessive wiping.
It's completely normal to wipe anywhere from between one to three times. If you have a lot of soft or pasty poop when you wipe, it's likely that you didn't empty things out completely.
Wiping back to front is associated with a greater risk of developing urinary tract infection than wiping front to back. Urinary tract infections (UTI) are very common in pregnancy (1) and Escherichia coli is the commonest pathogen isolated from pregnant women (1).
Try using moist towelettes or baby wipes to gently clean the area after bowel movements. This can be more gentle than dry toilet paper. Be sure to pat — not wipe — the area dry after bathing or making a bowel movement. Excess moisture can cause irritation.
We shake hands with our right hands typically, but there is no etiquette regarding which hand is used for wiping.