There’s no argument: queefing is really embarrassing.
Queefing, or passing wind from the vagina, can turn anything into an awkward moment, whether yoga, sex, or getting off the floor in an exercise class. It’s embarrassing enough for it to happen – you certainly don’t want to talk about it! Most women I see don’t tell me until I ask them specifically.
Can you believe there’s research on queefing?
A recent study looked at a group of 800 women. Around 14% of them experienced queefing, or “vaginal noise” as the study called it. When these women were examined by a gynaecologist, there was an interesting finding: 21% of the women with vaginal wind had a prolapse, whereas only 10% of the women without vaginal wind had a prolapse. That’s double the rate of prolapse in the vaginal wind group!
As well as that, women with vaginal wind were at least twice as likely to experience faecal incontinence – that is, accidental bowel leakage.
Accidental bowel leakage and prolapse are two problems that we can do a lot about and shouldn’t be ignored.
But what to do about queefing?
Well, studies have looked at a few possible solutions. Some have found the use of a vaginal pessary (like a support splint for the vagina) to eliminate the problem.
One case study found that wearing a tampon during the activity that provoked the queefing completely resolved the symptoms! Not practical with sex, but sounds like a pretty straightforward solution, if it is during your yoga class that it occurs.