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What are Ostomy Undergarments?

Ostomy undergarments are a special clothing option designed specifically for people who have an ostomy.

They include underwear and lingerie with special pockets to help support an ostomy bag. Note that while most will have a pouch pocket, some do not.

Note that while most ostomy undergarments will have a pouch pocket, some do not. For the ones that don’t, they often have higher waists to give your appliance more support.

Some Benefits

• They provide great support of your ostomy appliance.
• They can offer concealment of your appliance.
• Can help to boost confidence and improve body image.
• Sexy undergarments can help to spice things up in the bedroom and improve intimacy.
• Because undergarments are often worn anyway (by most people, at least… I won’t judge if you don’t!), they work seamlessly without the need to use extra support products.
• Many of the current ostomy undergarments available offer products that rival the look and style of traditional brands.

Potential Issues

• Wearing your appliance under clothes can restrict the capacity of your pouch and make things uncomfortable as it fills up. This can also lead to pancaking.
• Ostomy undergarments can be more expensive than regular undergarments in some cases.
• While undergarments designed for ostomates might look great, getting fully naked (i.e. to have sex) may still require you to use another accessory for support or concealment of your appliance.
• These may not be suitable for ostomates who have two stomas, although some brands do offer double-pockets (like the “Nolan” underwear above).
• Ostomates who have a high-output stoma or urostomy may not be able to comfortably wear these.
• It’s difficult to use other accessories like stoma guards when you have your appliance in an ostomy undergarment.

How Ostomy Undergarments are Typically Sold

I often to see these products being sold directly through the manufacturers online, although you may be able to find them at medical supply stores that carry ostomy supplies.

Because these tend to be sold online, it’s hard to know how well they’ll fit or look on you.  Fortunately, most of the companies who make these products love to share photos through social media, so that may help some people to decide what to order.

A few examples from various Instagram accounts:

When sizing these undergarments, always check to see if the manufacturer has a measuring guide or size chart available to make things easier. As with pretty much any article of clothing, sizes will vary from brand to brand.

Prices for ostomy undergarments can range from $30 to nearly $100, which is why you may want to consider some alternatives if cost is a factor (see the Alternatives section at the end of this article)

You can find a list of manufacturers who make ostomy undergarments on THIS page.

Purchase on Amazon

You can purchase ostomy undergarments on Amazon (affiliate links): USA

Although, you can also find high waisted underwear on Amazon that may also work just as well (affiliate links): USA | CANADA

How to Use Ostomy Undergarments

Wearing an ostomy undergarment is very similar to how you’d wear high-waisted underwear or lingerie.

The only difference is that if your undergarment has a pouch pocket, you’ll want to put the bottom of your ostomy pouch into it.

When it comes time to empty your ostomy pouch, you can often easily remove it from the undergarment pocket without needing to pull down or remove the undergarment completely.

Tips When Using Ostomy Undergarments

Here are a few things to keep in mind when using ostomy undergarments.

• Try to keep your bag as empty as possible when using ostomy undergarments.
• If you have a colostomy and irrigate, you should be able to comfortably wear these types of undergarments without many problems.
• For ladies who are looking for intimacy wear that they can keep on during intimate times, look for crotchless styles.
• Ostomy undergarments can be really comfy to wear to bed. Since many pajamas are loose, it opens up the option of wearing your appliance under clothing, even when it’s something you might not do during the day.

Alternatives to Ostomy Underwear

Perhaps the best alternative to ostomy-specific underwear are traditional high-waisted undergarments. These will offer similar support (although, they will not have a pouch pocket) and can be purchased for a fraction of the cost.

Amazon has quite a few styles of high waisted underwear available on their USA and CANADA sites (affiliate links), but you can get these just about everywhere.

One thing to be cautious about is that like the ostomy underwear, high waisted undergarments may cause issues with pancaking or restrict flow, so don’t go with something too tight if you have regular output.

If you’re looking for similar support and concealment, you may be able to use ostomy wraps under your clothing or other support garments.

Additional Resources

Examples of ostomy undergarments and other clothing ideas can be found in my clothing guide for MEN or LADIES.