If you don't have any physical limitations preventing you from reaching around your body to wipe from the front to back, it's generally considered the safer route to go. The reason is that you'll be moving feces away from your more delicate parts, lowering the risk of infection.
It's important that you wipe front to back, as wiping the opposite way — back to front — can spread bacteria. “Every time one wipes after urination, the bacteria from the gut can get transferred to the vagina or the urethra if wiping from back to front,” said Dr.
Is it bad to wipe back to front? It depends. While it might feel easier than wiping front to back, this motion could increase your risk for transferring bacteria to your urethra.
Conversely, “If you wipe back-to-front, you could actually move bacteria from the GI tract to your vaginal area and also to your urethra,” Clara Paik, M.D., chief of the division of gynecologic specialties and clinic medical director at UC Davis Medical Center, tells SELF.
According to Niket Sonpal, MD, a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist in New York City, wiping front to back minimizes the possibility of spreading bacteria from the anus to the urethra, the tube connecting the bladder to an opening where urine empties outside the body.
“Wiping front-to-back minimizes the risk of spreading bacteria,” Audra Williams, M.D., clinical instructor and ob/gyn at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System, tells SELF.
Over 25,000 people took the poll . . . and 34% said they go back to front. 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. (I'm not sure what that would be.
Hygiene issues, such as wiping from back to front or otherwise not wiping properly can cause bacterial contamination3 that leads to infectious bacterial vaginitis. Yeast infections are a fairly common cause of vaginitis.
No, and most guys don't have a need to do that; after they shake off the final drop there is nothing to wipe or wash off. Some guys do, because they have prostate issues and might leak out some urine onto the head or shaft.
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.
Wipe backward from the perineum, toward and past the anus. “Wipe gently, and use additional toilet paper until the paper is clean and never scrub the skin around the perineum. If you cannot reach behind your back, reaching in between your legs from the front is fine as long as you wipe from front to back,” says Dr.
The Right Way to Wipe
Wipe backward from the perineum , the space between the genitals and anus, moving toward and past the anus. Use additional wads of toilet tissue as needed until the paper is mostly clean. Never scrub the skin around the anus, called the perianal area, as this can cause microtears in the skin.
"When urine leaves the body, oddly we get a drop in blood pressure, which then causes activation of the sympathetic nervous system to increase the heart rate and vascular tone, which then restores the drop in blood pressure.
Failure to wipe correctly could leave you vulnerable to a urinary tract infection or aggravate any existing rectal issues, like hemorrhoids or anal fissures.
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.
Out of 3,005 voters in a 24-hour period, 35 percent said that they wipe standing up. That's over 1,000 men. The other party might be more common but plenty of guys are standing up to wipe post-poop. The phenomenon is so common that Buzzfeed created two different videos about it.
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).
Because infection-causing bacteria could be present in some urine, there's a slight chance you could contract something, especially if you have a cut or other open wound on your foot. Infections such as MRSA can be transmitted via a shower floor.
It might not be easy to admit, but a lot of people pee in the shower. In fact, a 2020 survey by Showers to You found that 76% of people let loose in the cubicle. However, pelvic floor therapist Dr. Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas says that showers aren't the place to pee, for legitimate health reasons.
When you remove your undergarments to urinate, this exposes previously warm private parts to a lower room temperature or cold air. This can make you feel colder, and as a result, your body might shiver to bring warmth back to your body.
Use soft toilet paper, unscented towelettes, or a soft, wet washcloth to wipe your bum. Refrain from vigorous wiping, but instead use gentle motions to cleanse the bottom. Cleanse with mild soap and lukewarm water, and dry your bottom with a soft cloth afterwards.
If the staining only happens occasionally and after you use dry tissue to clean yourself after a bowel movement, this may be due to inadequate cleaning. When you have a bowel movement, there will be faeces that stains the inner lining of the anus. We need to clean the anus of this faeces to prevent skidmarks.
"Wiping front to back is important because it minimizes bacteria being introduced from your anus into your urethra. Even if you clean really well after a bowel movement, there is still a chance of bacterial contamination, which can lead to a urinary tract infection," Dr. Jeffcoat said.
Why don't men wipe when they pee? Because generally they don't need to. There is very little urine which will be on the outside (head or glans) of the penis after urination, and a little shake is usually all that's needed if that. That will also dislodge any that is still inside the urethra.