Queefing , as anyone with a vagina will tell you, can happen at some inopportune times: while you’re having sex , in the middle of a yoga class or during a visit to the gynecologist . You may have heard some people refer to queefs as “vaginal farts” (charming). But while queefs do produce a toot-like sound, we can assure you that queefing is not the same as passing gas.
We talked to gynecologists and sex therapists to learn more about what causes queefs, some of the misconceptions about them and why they shouldn’t be as mortifying as we make them out to be. Queefing is an involuntary bodily function that occurs when air is pushed into the vagina, gets temporarily trapped in the folds of the vaginal canal (called rugae ) and is then released. “Queefing happens when a penis, fingers or sex toy go in and out of the vagina bringing additional air along with it,” Sherry A.
Ross , an OB-GYN in Santa Monica, California and the author of “ She-ology: The Definitive Guide to Women’s Intimate Health ,” told HuffPost. “Sex can involve a lot of thrusting of the penis in and out of the vagina, typically pushing extra air into a dead-end space.” Certain sex positions, like doggy style where your pelvis is titled upwards, or abruptly switching from one position to another, may increase the likelihood of queefing.
Even non-sexual activities, like putting in a tampon or menstrual cup, practicing yoga (like when you move out of an inversion pose ) or your gyno inserting a.