Toileting hygiene

[applelover]

Hi scarleteen
This isn't a pregnancy question but more of a general hygiene question. I'm muslim and grew up in a home where we have to wash and wipe every time after we use the toilet. We're supposed to wash ourselves with water and user our hands as if we would be washing any other part of our body, and then dry with toilet paper. I grew up doing this and never thought twice until recently when I've been learning more about germ transfer. Now I feel like I'm so paranoid that I can't even go to the bathroom and wipe with toilet paper without washing my hands first. We touch so many things all day long using our hands and im so worried that germs might transfer from my hands to the toilet paper and then from the toilet paper onto my vulva and up my ureter. I duno maybe I've been watching too many of those videos about hand washing around flu season to prevent germ transfer that now I'm worried about about any vaginal infection that I could get. Could you please help ease my fears and tell me if germs can actually transfer From my hands onto toilet paper and then from toilet paper onto my Vulva if the part that wiped my vulva is the same as the part that I grabbed to tear off the sheet? I've read the articles here which talk about hand washing before manual sex because it could be a risk for a UTI and now I'm nervous if that can happen via toilet paper and unwashed hands too.

Thank you!

[Heather]

Here's how this goes: if someone wanted to be on the more-cautious end with this, then they'd wash their hands both before and after toileting. If someone felt more relaxed about it -- and I'd say this way is more standard -- then just washing up after is the way to go, and by all means, that really should cover your bases if you are regularly washing your hands during the day anyway. Using toilet paper is a very different thing than someone putting their fingers inside the vagina or even rubbing the vulva, because generally when people wipe, they are covering the surface of their hands with the toilet paper.

So, this is a matter of personal preference, where either way is just fine, depending on what you feel best meets your wants and needs.

[applelover]

Thanks so much for the clarification. That explains a lot. I just wanted to make clear though that I didn't mean just touching myself while wiping because as you mentioned most people avoid doing that. I was more concerned about whether germs can transfer to parts of the toilet paper that will then be touching me. Like if I touch squares 1 and 4 in a sheet of toilet paper with my unwashed hands, and squares 1 and 4 then are used to wipe, can germs transfer from my hands to the toilet paper and then from the toilet paper to my vulva/ureter. I hope I explained myself well enough there :/

[applelover]

Bump

[Heather]

Sorry we missed this, applelover.

Again, given the way we hold toilet paper in order to use it, I do not think this is cause for concern. But again, you always have the option of washing your hands before and after, not just answer, if you want to do the thing that gives you and your body the very best protection from germs. Like I said, some folks feel more relaxed about it and only wash after, others prefer doing both.