{"id":4581,"date":"2026-02-11T12:25:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T12:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/intimacy-and-relationships-with-a-stoma-by-rachel\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T16:48:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T16:48:55","slug":"intimacy-and-relationships-with-a-stoma-by-rachel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/intimacy-and-relationships-with-a-stoma-by-rachel\/","title":{"rendered":"Intimacy and relationships with a stoma | by Rachel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-947\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-70 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#6e6760\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9d7e79ac464ec15cd2b62f2a9db1f46d text-center lg:text-center\">Intimacy and relationships with a stoma | by Rachel<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"spacer\n    h-8    lg:h-24\"\n>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br>Intimacy with a stoma\u2026 such an important topic, yet one many of us can feel too uncomfortable to talk about with friends, our partners, or even our stoma nurses. The fact is, intimacy and sexual health are essential to living a full and healthy life. Whether you are in a relationship, dating, or single, having stoma surgery may change things.<br><br>Dating brings up the question of whether you tell someone upfront, which I would always suggest, as it allows you to sift through the bad eggs early. In a relationship, both of you are going to experience the after-effects of surgery, both physically and emotionally. For same-sex couples, the surgery you have may change the whole dynamic and role of a person as a sexual partner, which can inevitably alter a relationship.<\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"spacer\n    h-4    lg:h-12\"\n>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-48462d985ec9cb20472d9a92798782b2\">Sexual health culture is changing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d2dc25fb108e41c6afaf37271995f3ef\">How might your sexual health change post-surgery?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b5b4ea05a05697a08731499e45420c0b\">Where do you start?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d3fef711d664325455188d2eda283a9c\">Practical tips<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1a12f88d41f4f6ba93d8f0dd8c135454\">Above all else&#8230;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"spacer\n    h-8    lg:h-8\"\n>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div>\n    <div class=\"stories-carousel\">\n        <div class=\"glide__track\" data-glide-el=\"track\">\n            <ul class=\"glide__slides\">\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/running-beyond-limits-with-a-stoma-by-kevin\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/03\/IMG_7956-scaled-e1772450860213.jpg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/03\/IMG_7956-scaled-e1772450860213-300x217.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/03\/IMG_7956-scaled-e1772450860213-1024x741.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/03\/IMG_7956-scaled-e1772450860213-150x109.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/03\/IMG_7956-scaled-e1772450860213-768x556.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/03\/IMG_7956-scaled-e1772450860213-1536x1112.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/03\/IMG_7956-scaled-e1772450860213-600x434.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/03\/IMG_7956-scaled-e1772450860213.jpg 1920w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">Running beyond limits with a stoma | by Kevin<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">5 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/long-haul-flights-with-a-stoma-by-summer\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0535-scaled-e1779109087825.jpeg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0535-scaled-e1779109087825-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0535-scaled-e1779109087825-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0535-scaled-e1779109087825-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0535-scaled-e1779109087825-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0535-scaled-e1779109087825-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0535-scaled-e1779109087825-600x600.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0535-scaled-e1779109087825-100x100.jpeg 100w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0535-scaled-e1779109087825.jpeg 1920w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">Long haul flights with a stoma | by Summer<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">4 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/how-my-stoma-routine-has-changed-over-time-by-rachel\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_9630-scaled-e1778063616974.jpeg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_9630-scaled-e1778063616974-255x300.jpeg 255w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_9630-scaled-e1778063616974-870x1024.jpeg 870w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_9630-scaled-e1778063616974-127x150.jpeg 127w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_9630-scaled-e1778063616974-768x904.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_9630-scaled-e1778063616974-1305x1536.jpeg 1305w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_9630-scaled-e1778063616974-1740x2048.jpeg 1740w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_9630-scaled-e1778063616974-600x706.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_9630-scaled-e1778063616974.jpeg 1920w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">How my stoma routine has changed over time | by Rachel<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">5 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/what-is-hirschsprungs-disease-and-how-has-it-impacted-me-by-rachel\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0833-scaled-e1778062502552.jpeg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0833-scaled-e1778062502552-287x300.jpeg 287w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0833-scaled-e1778062502552-978x1024.jpeg 978w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0833-scaled-e1778062502552-143x150.jpeg 143w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0833-scaled-e1778062502552-768x804.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0833-scaled-e1778062502552-1467x1536.jpeg 1467w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0833-scaled-e1778062502552-600x628.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_0833-scaled-e1778062502552.jpeg 1920w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">What is Hirschsprung&#8217;s Disease and how has it impacted me? | by Rachel<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">5 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/travelling-sri-lanka-with-a-stoma-by-summer\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_2234-scaled-e1778061045454.jpeg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_2234-scaled-e1778061045454-300x233.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_2234-scaled-e1778061045454-1024x795.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_2234-scaled-e1778061045454-150x116.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_2234-scaled-e1778061045454-768x596.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_2234-scaled-e1778061045454-1536x1192.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_2234-scaled-e1778061045454-600x466.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/IMG_2234-scaled-e1778061045454.jpeg 1920w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">Traveling Sri Lanka with a stoma | by Summer<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">4 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/my-trip-to-disneyland-with-a-stoma-by-phillipa\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/81e113ad-e8a8-4e20-9d60-c1979ab17f79-e1777632220985.jpg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/81e113ad-e8a8-4e20-9d60-c1979ab17f79-e1777632220985-300x267.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/81e113ad-e8a8-4e20-9d60-c1979ab17f79-e1777632220985-1024x911.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/81e113ad-e8a8-4e20-9d60-c1979ab17f79-e1777632220985-150x134.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/81e113ad-e8a8-4e20-9d60-c1979ab17f79-e1777632220985-768x684.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/81e113ad-e8a8-4e20-9d60-c1979ab17f79-e1777632220985-600x534.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/05\/81e113ad-e8a8-4e20-9d60-c1979ab17f79-e1777632220985.jpg 1365w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">My trip to Disneyland with a stoma | by Phillipa<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">7 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                            <\/ul>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"glide-navigation-wrapper\">\n            <a href=\"\/us\/blog\/\" class=\"btn btn-gradient w-full text-center lg:w-fit\">Explore all stories and advice<\/a>\n            <div class=\"glide-navigation\">\n                <div class=\"bullets\" data-glide-el=\"controls[nav]\">\n                                            <button class=\"bullet\" aria-label=\"Go to slide 0\" data-glide-dir=\"=0\"><\/button>\n                                            <button class=\"bullet\" aria-label=\"Go to slide 1\" 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lg:h-20\"\n>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Intimacy with a stoma is such an important topic, yet one many of us can feel too uncomfortable to talk about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[40],"class_list":["post-4581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-rachel"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}