Intimacy and sex are a natural part of your life and having fulfilling intimate relationships is as important after your surgery as it was beforehand. While the operation may have changed your body, it hasn't changed who you are.
The sooner you start feeling comfortable about the changes to your body the better - it is not your stoma that determines your limitations in regards to intimacy.
You will know when you are ready
Physically and emotionally you will know when you are ready to restart your love life. Although you may initially be worried about how to make the first step, its important that you and your partner both take this new journey together.
It takes time to adjust
What is also important is acceptance - from both your partner and yourself. Avoid putting pressure on yourself and each other. Try and accept that it is okay if it takes a little while before your intimate life is back to what it was before.
Sex is more than intercourse
Remember that intimacy is much more than intercourse, and can be fulfilling and fun in its own right. Take time to simply enjoy each other, then feeling ready for intercourse might well come naturally in time.
