What Is a Queef and Why You Should Stop Being Embarrassed

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional for personal guidance.

Let us get something out of the way immediately: if you have ever queefed during yoga class, in the middle of intimacy, or just while rolling over in bed, you are completely, utterly, boringly normal. The vaginal air sound that the internet has given a dozen euphemisms to is one of the most universal bodily experiences that nobody wants to talk about. And that silence is exactly the problem.

The awkwardness around queefing is so deeply embedded in our culture that most people who experience it carry a low-grade shame about something that deserves approximately zero emotional energy. So consider this your permission slip to stop caring. Here is everything you actually need to know.

What Exactly Is a Queef?

A queef — sometimes called vaginal flatulence, though that term is misleading — is the sound produced when trapped air escapes from the vaginal canal. That is it. There is no digestive process involved, no bacterial fermentation, no waste product. It is air going in and air coming out, producing a sound on the way that happens to resemble something less polite.

The vaginal canal is not a sealed tube. It is a flexible, muscular canal that changes shape with movement, arousal, and muscle engagement. When the walls of the canal shift — during a yoga pose, during penetration, during a particularly ambitious stretch — they can create a temporary pocket that traps air. When that pocket closes or the air is displaced, it exits and makes a sound.

Think of it like this: if you cup your hands together and then squeeze them, air escapes and makes a noise. Nobody is embarrassed by hand-squeaking. The only difference with queefing is where it happens, and we have collectively decided that anything involving the vagina must be mortifying. It does not have to be.

How It Differs From Flatulence

This distinction matters because the confusion is where a lot of the embarrassment comes from. Flatulence — the kind that comes from your digestive system — involves gases produced by bacteria breaking down food. It passes through the anus, and it can have an odour because of the sulfur compounds involved in digestion.

A queef involves none of that biology. The air that exits the vagina is the same ambient air that entered it. There is no bacterial process. There is no odour. It is acoustically similar to flatulence but biologically unrelated. Comparing the two is like comparing a burp to a hiccup — they sound adjacent but are completely different mechanisms.

Why Does It Happen? The Common Triggers

Queefing does not happen randomly. There are predictable situations where trapped air is more likely, and understanding them can help normalise the experience entirely.

During Intimacy

This is probably the scenario that causes the most distress, and ironically it is the most unavoidable. During penetrative intimacy, air is physically pushed into the vaginal canal with each movement. Certain positions — particularly those involving deeper angles or repeated withdrawal and re-entry — introduce more air. When that air needs to exit, it does so audibly.

The more vigorous the activity, the more air gets trapped. The more air gets trapped, the louder the eventual release. This is pure physics, not a reflection of anything about your body, your anatomy, or your worthiness as a partner. Every gynaecologist will tell you the same thing: this is expected.

During Exercise and Yoga

Inversions, hip openers, and any movement that involves tilting the pelvis can introduce air into the vaginal canal. Downward dog is the classic culprit, but shoulder stands, happy baby pose, and even certain Pilates movements are frequent offenders. The combination of gravity shifts and core engagement creates the perfect conditions for air entrapment.

If you have ever been in a yoga class trying to hold warrior II while your body decides to provide its own sound effects, know that every instructor has heard it countless times and genuinely does not care.

During Daily Movements

Getting up from a seated position, rolling over in bed, bending over to pick something up — these mundane movements can also cause queefing. It is less common than during exercise or intimacy, but it happens, and it is equally meaningless.

The Embarrassment Problem: Why We Need to Get Over It

Here is what is genuinely frustrating about queef-shame: it only exists because we have created a culture where vaginas are expected to be silent, odourless, and basically invisible. Bodies that produce sounds, fluids, and other evidence of being alive are treated as though they have violated some unspoken contract of femininity.

This is not a small thing. The embarrassment around queefing is a symptom of a much larger issue — the idea that certain bodies need to perform seamless, noiseless existence in order to be acceptable. That expectation is absurd, and it is worth naming it as such.

The Impact on Intimacy

Some people avoid certain positions during intimacy because they know those positions are more likely to cause queefing. Some people tense up and lose the moment entirely when it happens. Some people have had partners react with disgust or mockery, which creates lasting anxiety.

All of this is a shame tax on pleasure. The response to a queef during intimacy should be the same as the response to any other body sound: acknowledge it, maybe laugh about it together, and move on. If a partner makes you feel bad about a completely involuntary bodily function, that tells you something important about the partner, not about your body.

What Gynaecologists Actually Think

Ask any gynaecologist about queefing and you will get a response somewhere between amused and exasperated — amused because the question keeps coming up, exasperated because the answer is so straightforward. There is no medical condition called "excessive queefing." There is no treatment, because there is nothing to treat. It is like asking a doctor how to stop blinking.

The only exception worth noting: if vaginal air release is accompanied by a foul odour, this could indicate a rare condition called a rectovaginal fistula — an abnormal connection between the rectum and the vagina. This is uncommon and is typically associated with childbirth complications or surgery. If you notice an actual odour (not just the sound), a medical consultation is warranted. But for the vast, vast majority of people, queefing is just queefing.

Can You Prevent Queefing?

The honest answer is: not really, and you should not need to. But since the question comes up constantly, here are some practical notes.

During Intimacy

Certain positions introduce less air than others. Positions where the pelvis is relatively level tend to trap less air than those with significant tilting. Slower, more gradual movements with less complete withdrawal also reduce air introduction. But optimising your intimate life around queef-avoidance is a miserable way to approach pleasure, and we would not recommend it.

A better approach: normalise it. Talk about it with your partner beforehand if you are anxious. Frame it as what it is — a completely normal body thing. Most partners, when given context, will not think twice about it.

During Yoga

Some yoga practitioners find that engaging the pelvic floor muscles before transitioning into inversions can reduce air entrapment. This is anecdotal rather than clinical, but it is a low-stakes thing to experiment with. Ultimately, though, a yoga practice that accommodates every possible body sound is a yoga practice that understands what bodies actually do.

The Cultural Conversation We Need to Have

Queefing is a perfect case study in how silence creates shame. When something completely normal is never discussed openly, every person who experiences it assumes they are the only one. They assume something is wrong. They carry a tiny, unnecessary burden of embarrassment that accumulates over years.

The fix is aggressively simple: talk about it. Mention it to friends. Do not whisper about it. Treat it with the same casual energy you would give to any other body function. The more normalised queefing becomes in conversation, the fewer people will spend years wondering if their body is broken because it made a sound.

What to Say When It Happens

If you are someone who gets flustered, here are some approaches that real people use:

• During intimacy: A simple "that was just air" and continue. No further explanation needed.
• During yoga: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Pretend it is a sound effect for your practice.
• During a medical exam: Your doctor has heard it approximately ten thousand times. They are not thinking about it.
• With a new partner: If you want to address it proactively, a casual mention beforehand that bodies make sounds and it is no big deal sets the tone beautifully.

When Queefing Could Signal Something Else

We have spent most of this article reassuring you that queefing is normal, and it is. But for completeness, here are the rare situations where a medical conversation might be appropriate:

• Foul-smelling air release: Normal queefs have no odour. If there is a persistent unpleasant smell, it could indicate a fistula or infection.
• Accompanied by other symptoms: If queefing is new and accompanied by pelvic pain, unusual discharge, or changes in bowel habits, mention it to your doctor as part of the bigger picture.
• Post-surgical changes: If you notice a significant increase in vaginal air after pelvic surgery or childbirth, a pelvic floor assessment can be helpful — not because the queefing itself is a problem, but because it might indicate changes worth monitoring.

For the overwhelming majority of people reading this: you are fine. Your body is doing exactly what bodies do.

A Queef Stop Being Embarrassed FAQ

Written by the MyMuse Editorial Team

Last updated: February 2026