Here’s why you queef during sex (and yoga)

If I asked the members of my yogi group text message to spill their most embarrassing vinyasa stories right this minute, I’d wind up with a robust list of #yogafails. Farting, falling flat on your face in crow pose, and out-of-tune Oms—these are casual occurrences that happen when you unroll your mat. And so is queefing.

Vaginal flatulence happens in the studio for the same exact reason it happens during sex, says Adeeti Gupta, MD, founder of Walk In GYN Care in New York City. “Sometimes you’re sucking in your abs while also squeezing your pelvic muscles (like Kegels) during exercise,” explains the OB/GYN. “That could suck in air which then gets released with the change in vaginal or abdominal pressure.” You move from cobra to downward facing dog and, before ya know it, you’ve expelled the tiniest “poofff” without ever moving into wind-relieving pose. (It’s a real thing!)

Similarly, when couples are in the throes of passion, the individual (or individuals) being penetrated are likely to queef because air is being actively pushed into the vaginal opening. “It can happen if air gets trapped in the vagina, if the penis comes in and out. Or even if it doesn’t, air could get trapped with the movement,” says Dr. Gupta.

Sure it’s embarrassing, but sex writ large rarely looks like it does in the movies. “Sex involves bodies, and bodies do weird things sometimes,” states Planned Parenthood’s website. “Even if queefing sounds kind of like a fart, there are no intestinal gasses being expelled, so there’s no odor… laughing it off or ignoring it is about the best solution we can think of.” Retweet.

Pro tips: schedule time for sex and buy a sex pillow.