Rectal discharge
Discharge from the rectum most commonly shows itself as the appearance of mucus or pus wrapped around the outside of an otherwise normal bowel motion in the toilet bowl. It may also show itself as a constant feeling of dampness around the anal opening, stains on the underclothing, or as the feeling of wanting to open the bowels with the passage of only small amounts of mucus or pus-like liquid rather than normal faeces.
Any person with rectal discharge should see their local doctor or sexual health clinic. There are many causes of rectal discharge – these can be investigated and treated.
Practical Advice
Rectal discharge could be due to an infection of the rectum associated with sexual activity. The rectal discharge may or may not be associated with pain and discomfort. Sexually transmissible infections (STIs) that can cause rectal discharge and/or pain include:
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhoea
- Syphilis
- Lymphogranuloma venereum
- Herpes simplex.
Testing
If your clinician suspects an STI as the cause, a swab sample can be sent to the laboratory for testing. Swabs can often be self-collected while you are at the clinic or pathology collection centre.
How often you test for STIs depends on your lifestyle and how sexually active you are. Three-monthly STI testing is recommended for sexually active gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
Prevention
Practise safe sex. Talk to your partners about sexual health, and make sure you get enthusiastic consent. Condoms are the best way to prevent STIs and other infections and using them with a water-based lubricant will be more pleasurable and reduce the risk of the condom breaking. If you have anal sex with new or different partners and do not use condoms, you'll need to have more frequent sexual health checks.
There are also non-STI causes of rectal discharge or bleeding (e.g., ulcerative colitis, radiation proctitis, fissures, anal injuries). The national screening program for bowel cancer offers home sampling to people aged 50–74 years to detect blood in their bowel motion which may be caused by polyps, haemorrhoids, or inflammation. If there is bleeding, the cause needs to be investigated further and may require specialist procedures such as a colonoscopy.
Other Resources
- For short animations about common STIs, see Queensland Health's YouTube channel Your Sexual Health.
- For comprehensive information about safe sex, STIs, testing and treatment for young adults, see Stop the Rise of STIs.
- For videos and resources developed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, see Young Deadly Free.
- For translated resources about STIs go to the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland website.