THINK you know how to wipe after pooping?
Many Brits are actually wiping then wrong way – increasing their risk of a painful infection.
This is according to a study by Tap Warehouse, who found that a third of British women prefer to going against the norm.
After surveying people up and down the country, their results showed that 33 percent of women prefer to wipe back to front on the toilet.
While this way of wiping is perfectly fine for men, for women it may mean they end up contracting a urinary tract infection (UTI), according to women's health expert, Dr Teresa Irwin.
"This can cause the tracking of bacteria from your anus to your pee-hole leading to infection," she explained on a video shared on TikTok.
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UTIs affect your urinary tract, including your bladder, urethraor kidneys.
The NHS estimated that around half of all women in the UK will suffer at least one UTI at some point in their lives.
Symptoms of a UTI
- pain or a burning sensation when peeing (dysuria)
- needing to pee more often than usual during the night (nocturia)
- pee that looks cloudy, dark or has a strong smell
- needing to pee suddenly or more urgently than usual
- needing to pee more often than usual
- blood in your pee
- lower tummy pain or pain in your back, just under the ribs
- a high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
- a very low temperature below 36C
Source: NHS
They can often be very painful, and in many cases require antibiotics.
Pelvic floor therapist George said if you wipe your behind more than three times after a number two, then you could actually be doing more harm than good.
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This could be a sign of issues such as a weak pelvic floor, a lack of fibre in your diet, an anal sphincter injury or haemorrhoids, the expert said.
George added that you shouldn't be constantly wiping to get clean after having a poo.
If you're still finding you're not clean though after wiping, she revealed a hack for that.
George said a technique you can use to reduce how many times you need to wipe is squeezing your pelvic floor in a waterfall formation.
This means that you start out by squeezing your anus at 20 per cent, progressing to 50, 80 and then 100 per cent.
The expert added: "This can help close off the anus sphincter which is why you’re having little bits of stool still hanging around the entrance – it’s normally through weakness through that external sphincter."
For some people, she said stool consistency will also play a role.
In order to help the poo ease out naturally, she said you should also include more water, fruit and vegetables to your diet.
If these things don't help, then she said you should visit your GP and get the issues checked out.
How to wipe the right way
In the video, women's health guru Dr Teresa. demonstrates how women should be wiping.
You have two choices, she explains.
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You either push the toilet paper from the from to the back.
Or you go from behind, and pull the paper from front towards the back.
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