Anyone living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) knows that their disease has a significant impact on their daily lives. Many people are diagnosed in their 20s or 30s, a time when they can expect to have few health problems.
Medications and sometimes surgery may be used to treat IBD. If you identify as LGBTQ+, you may be wondering how all of this affects you, not just your physical health, but also your sexual health and pleasure. You may think so. Here are some things to understand and consider.
What is inflammatory bowel disease?
IBD is Conditions that cause inflammation along the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The two main types are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Crohn’s disease: Inflammation can occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract (from the mouth to the anus).
- Ulcerative colitis: Usually affects only the large intestine (colon).
IBD can cause diarrhea, blood in the stool, weight loss, and abdominal pain, and is usually diagnosed by blood tests, stool tests, imaging tests, and colonoscopies. A diagnosis of IBD can increase your risk of developing anxiety and depression; sexual health. People with IBD may require long-term treatment or surgery for their condition.
Starting point: Consult your doctor
Talking to your health care team about IBD and sexual health may not be easy. This depends on how comfortable you are with disclosing your girlfriend’s LGBTQ+ identity to your health care provider. Ideally, feel free to discuss her sexuality with her medical team, including what types of sexual partners and activities she participates in and how her IBD may affect this part of her life. You should be able to talk about it.
Please note that health care providers may not be able to address all LGBTQ+-specific concerns. Optimal care for her IBD patients, who identify as LGBTQ+, is not fully understood. However, this is an active area of research.
How can IBD medications affect sexual health?
Many effective IBD treatments suppress the immune system and reduce inflammation. These immunosuppressive drugs can increase the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as HIV, chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea.
What you can do: Discuss these concerns with your doctor so that appropriate protective measures can be taken. This may include:
- Make sure your vaccines, such as hepatitis B and HPV, are up to date.
- Have sex using barrier protection to prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.
- take Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This safe and effective drug helps prevent the spread of HIV. Talk to your doctor or gastroenterologist about whether PrEP is right for you.
How can IBD surgery affect sexual health?
In some people with IBD, the inflammation of the intestine is so severe that surgery to remove part of the intestine may be necessary. for example:
- Crohn’s disease can cause abscesses or fistulas (abnormal connections between two parts of the body) to form around the anus. This may require surgical treatment.
- Progressive inflammation of the rectum or anus can make sex painful, especially for people who engage in anal receptive sex.
- It remains to be seen whether anal receptive sex is safe for people who have had surgery to remove their colon and create a J-pouch, which is formed from the small intestine to form an internal pouch that allows normal bowel movements. yeah.
What you can do: Discuss your concerns with your gastroenterologist or colorectal surgeon.
When it comes to anal sex, you may be confused about whether it’s safe or not. You may feel uncomfortable talking to your doctor about this or any other concern, but try to be as honest and open as possible. That way, you can receive the best information on how to have safe and enjoyable sex after an IBD diagnosis or surgery.
What else should you consider if you are transgender?
People with IBD who are transgender may have additional concerns to address.
For example, there may be a risk of sexual side effects from gender reassignment surgery. These procedures may include vaginoplasty (surgical creation of a vagina) for transgender women and phalloplasty (surgical creation of a penis) for transgender men. The safety of these procedures for patients with IBD is currently not well understood.
What you can do: If you identify as transgender, find out whether any gender reassignment surgery you have had or any hormones or other medications you take may affect your IBD, recommended treatments, and your sexual health. Ask your doctor.
If you are considering gender reassignment surgery, discuss your options with your medical team. Note that gender reassignment surgery may be more difficult or not recommended for those with complex or progressive she-IBD. It’s important to discuss the specific risks with your doctor when pursuing gender-affirming care. Having access to a team of doctors, including surgeons and gastroenterologists, may improve outcomes.
conclusion
Talk to your gastroenterologist about how your sexual activity and gender identity affect or can affect IBD. Although these conversations may feel uncomfortable, being open about your symptoms and concerns can help you receive the best care.
A multidisciplinary approach to care is often helpful. Your health care provider, such as a gastroenterologist or surgeon, may recommend seeing an additional specialist.
Much remains unknown about the sexual health and practices of LGBTQ+ people with IBD. Although more research is needed, communicating openly about the effects of medications, surgeries, and other aspects of living with her IBD can go a long way toward improving her quality of life.