Rectal Itching

Rectal Itching

A Grown-Up Version of Diaper Rash

In an era when women think nothing of chatting on national television about intimate secrets, like how they seduced their daughter's fiancé while under the influence of sugarless gum, here's a secret that only the bravest divulge: rectal itching.

Doctors call chronic rectal itching pruritus ani--Latin for anal itching. Rectal itching has many possible causes. And very often, it's chronic. Most often, rectal itching is associated with hemorrhoids, which affect about half of the population by age 50 and are common among pregnant women. Other possible causes include allergic reactions to scented soaps; drinking coffee, tea or alcoholic beverages or eating citrus fruits and chocolate, which are common bowel irritants.

SOOTHING THE ITCH FOR GOOD

Here's what women doctors advise if you are bothered with chronic rectal itching.

Pick up petroleum jelly. You wake up and your rectum is itching, itching, itching. For quick relief a little bit of petroleum jelly carefully applied to the site of the itch will ease the irritation until you have time for the more lasting remedies that follow, says Robyn Karlstadt, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia.

Wipe until it's clean. If you routinely wipe only once after a bowel movement and then pull up your undies, your rectal area may not be clean. The result is itchy irritation. "It may take a couple of wipes, but make sure that you leave no trace of stool on the toilet paper," says Dr. Karlstadt.

Dampen your toilet paper. Unusually sticky stool can be hard to clean. "If you've wiped a few times, and your anal area still isn't clean, wet toilet paper may work better," says Dr. Karlstadt. Then pat dry with a fresh section of toilet paper.

Make sure that your bottom is dry. A wet bottom irritates the skin around your anus. The best way to keep it dry? "Baby yourself with baby powder," says Barbara Frank, M.D., gastroenterologist and clinical professor of medicine at Allegheny University of the Health Sciences MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine in Philadelphia. Pat it on with a disposable cotton ball.

Lather up naturally. Deodorized or perfumed soap can irritate your rectum. To keep your rectum itch-free, choose unscented soaps, says Dr. Frank.