Rectal douching is the act of rinsing the rectum with intent to clean it. An instance of this rinsing or a tool used to perform the rinse may be called a rectal douche.

Uses

Rectal douching is a

hygienic Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

practice to clean the rectum to void hardened stools as opposed to a pharmaceutical method to soften the stool. Rectal douching is distinguished from

anal cleansing Anal hygiene or anal cleansing refers to hygienic practices that are performed on a person's anus, usually shortly after defecation. Post-defecation cleansing is rarely discussed academically, partly due to the social taboo. The scientific objec ...

, which is the routine cleaning of the anus after defecation.

Risks

Evidence is not clear, but it is possible that rectal douching before anal sex can increase the risk of transferring

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

, and other diseases. There is evidence that douching sometimes can disrupt the epithelium, or tissue in the rectum, and if this tissue is damaged, then diseases can spread more easily. Rectal douching before anal sex increases the risk of transfer of

Hepatitis B Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the '' Hepatitis B virus'' (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute and chronic infection. Many people have no symptoms during an initial infection. ...

. There are reports that activities which can have the side effect of causing unintentional forcing of water into the rectum, such as

waterskiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffici ...

, may cause discomfort but can potentially bring other harms.

Technique

Liquid, typically water, is inserted into the rectum by means of some tool. After some time, the water is expelled in the manner of a routine bowel movement, and, in the process, the rectum eliminates waste and is cleaned. Most people who use rectal douching do so with plain water. The use of a hose connected to a tap, either in a shower or sink, has been reported as the most popular way to administer a douche. Another popular way is with a handheld bulb and syringe designed for rectal douching. Less commonly, some people used commercial products sold for performing rectal douching, with single-use bottles of saline being most used. Also commercially available but even less commonly used for rectal douching are mineral oil products intended to assist in an enema.

History

A rectal douche device was patented in 1957 in the United States by Patricia Bragg.

Society and culture

From a public health perspective, understanding rectal douching practices may be important because the practice can be paired with behaviors which are

risk factors In epidemiology, a risk factor or determinant is a variable associated with an increased risk of disease or infection. Due to a lack of harmonization across disciplines, determinant, in its more widely accepted scientific meaning, is often use ...

to acquiring a sexually transmitted infection.

Research

Research into

rectal microbicide A rectal microbicide is a microbicide for rectal use. Most commonly such a product would be a topical gel inserted into the anus so that it make act as protection against the contract of a sexually transmitted infection during anal sex. Along wi ...

to prevent the transmission of

increased interest into researching safer and more gentle rectal douching techniques. The hope in that research is that a rectal microbicide could be delivered with a rectal douche.

References

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External links

Anal Sex Prep
a video explanation by

Lindsey Doe Lindsey Takara Doe (born ) is a sexologist, sex educator, and host of ''Sexplanations'' on YouTube. Personal life Lindsey Takara Doe was born in . , she had three non-biological children: a five-year-old foster son and two teenaged daughters. ...

which is suitable for any audience
Douching for Bottom Boys
a video explanation targeted to gay males Anal eroticism Hygiene Rectum Sexology