A dry enema is an alternative technique for cleansing the human

rectum The rectum is the final straight portion of the large intestine in humans and some other mammals, and the Gastrointestinal tract, gut in others. The adult human rectum is about long, and begins at the rectosigmoid junction (the end of the s ...

either for reasons of health, or for sexual hygiene. It is accomplished by squirting a small amount of sterile

lubricant A lubricant (sometimes shortened to lube) is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces, t ...

into the rectum, resulting in a

bowel movement Defecation (or defaecation) follows digestion, and is a necessary process by which organisms eliminate a solid, semisolid, or liquid waste material known as feces from the digestive tract via the anus. The act has a variety of names ranging fro ...

more quickly and with less violence than can be achieved by an oral

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

. It is called "dry" in contrast to the more usual wet enema, because no water is used.

Techniques

Suppositories

A rudimentary form of "dry" enema is the use of a non-medicated

glycerin Glycerol (), also called glycerine in British English and glycerin in American English, is a simple triol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is sweet-tasting and non-toxic. The glycerol backbone is found in lipids known ...

suppository. However, due to the relative hardiness of the

suppository A suppository is a dosage form used to deliver medications by insertion into a body orifice where it dissolves or melts to exert local or systemic effects. There are three types of suppositories, each to insert into a different sections: rectal su ...

necessary for its insertion into the human bodybefore glycerin can act, it must be melted by the heat of the body, and hence it does not take effect for up to an hour. Often the

hygroscopic Hygroscopy is the phenomenon of attracting and holding water molecules via either absorption or adsorption from the surrounding environment, which is usually at normal or room temperature. If water molecules become suspended among the substance ...

glycerin irritates the sensitive

membranes A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. Bi ...

of the rectum resulting in forceful expulsion of the suppository without any

effects.

Lubrication injection

A quicker form of the dry enema utilizes the

injection Injection or injected may refer to: Science and technology * Injective function, a mathematical function mapping distinct arguments to distinct values * Injection (medicine), insertion of liquid into the body with a syringe * Injection, in broadca ...

of a small amount of water-based

such as

KY Jelly K-Y Jelly is a water-based, water-soluble personal lubricant, most commonly used as a lubricant for sexual intercourse and masturbation. A variety of different products and formulas are produced under the K-Y banner, some of which are not water-so ...

into the rectum via a non-hypodermic

syringe A syringe is a simple reciprocating pump consisting of a plunger (though in modern syringes, it is actually a piston) that fits tightly within a cylindrical tube called a barrel. The plunger can be linearly pulled and pushed along the inside ...

, such as an oral syringe, or from some other source. Then again since the glycerin itself is an effective producer of the desired

contraction Contraction may refer to: Linguistics * Contraction (grammar), a shortened word * Poetic contraction, omission of letters for poetic reasons * Elision, omission of sounds ** Syncope (phonology), omission of sounds in a word * Synalepha, merged ...

of the colonic muscles it is simplerand more easily controlledto introduce 5–10 cc of glycerin directly into the rectum. Specialist syringes are available for this purpose but are hard to find. An alternative is to use an enema

nozzle A nozzle is a device designed to control the direction or characteristics of a fluid flow (specially to increase velocity) as it exits (or enters) an enclosed chamber or pipe. A nozzle is often a pipe or tube of varying cross sectional area, a ...

which has an intake end which is compatible with a standard

hypodermic syringe A syringe is a simple reciprocating pump consisting of a plunger (though in modern syringes, it is actually a piston) that fits tightly within a cylindrical tube called a barrel. The plunger can be linearly pulled and pushed along the inside o ...

. This allows the immediate

of the 5–10 cc required, and results can be expected in 2–4 minutes. Another alternative is to use a normal 5 or 10 cc syringe inserted directly into the anus. This needs to be done carefully to avoid scratching the anal passage. The passage should be lubricated with

sorbolene Aqueous Cream BP, also known as sorbolene, is a light, hydrocarbon-based emulsion, which is officially registered in the British Pharmacopoeia and categorised by the British National Formulary as a ''non-proprietary emollient preparation''. It is us ...

cream or any water-based lubricant. Only a syringe with a Luer-slip should be used, not a Luer-lock tip (a syringe end molded to take a screw-on needle). Penetration is better performed by the patient to eliminate any pain. The patient should be encouraged to wait at least 15 minutes so that

peristalsis Peristalsis ( , ) is a radially symmetrical contraction and relaxation of muscles that propagate in a wave down a tube, in an anterograde direction. Peristalsis is progression of coordinated contraction of involuntary circular muscles, which ...

can reach the full length of the rectum, but many will find this impossible and this treatment should therefore be applied only when the facilities to evacuate are nearby. The usual amount of lubricant applied is about 2 tsp (10 cc), which will produce a

movement Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

in 30 minutes or less. The movement will be produced in a compact body, rather than in the more copious liquid form produced by a wet enema; and since no water is used, none will be retained higher up in the colon, to be expelled at a later, and possibly inconvenient, time. A further advantage of this technique for

sexual hygiene Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a field of research, healthcare, and social activism that explores the health of an individual's reproductive system and sexual wellbeing during all stages of their life. The term can also be further de ...

is that any slight remaining traces of

fecal material Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relat ...

willdue to the presence of the lubricanttend to adhere to the wall of the

rather than to any foreign object which may subsequently be inserted.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dry Enema Sexual health Laxatives