03/14/2026
Shame around farting and pooping often starts much earlier than we realize. Many of us were taught as children that these normal body functions were embarrassing, “gross,” or something to hide. Those early messages stick. By the time we reach adulthood, a lot of women (in particular) have learned to suppress the natural urge to pass gas or have a bowel movement, especially around partners or in shared spaces.
But your body was never designed to hold everything in.
From a physiological perspective, your digestive system relies on a coordinated series of muscular contractions to move waste through the colon. At the end of that process are sphincter muscles, rings of muscle that open and close to allow gas and stool to pass. These muscles are partly voluntary, but they are also strongly influenced by your nervous system. When your body senses stress, embarrassment, or a lack of safety, the nervous system can signal those muscles to tighten and withhold.
In other words, sometimes it’s not just diet, fiber, or hydration. The body can literally hold on when the mind feels uncomfortable.
Chronic withholding of gas or stool can contribute to bloating, pressure, sluggish digestion, and constipation. Over time, it can disrupt the body’s natural rhythm of elimination. Your gut functions best when it feels safe to release.
Normalizing these processes matters. Passing gas. Having a bowel movement. Feeling your body move waste out of the system. These are not embarrassing failures of etiquette—they are signs of a healthy, functioning digestive system.
Compassion for your body begins with allowing it to do what it was designed to do.
If you’ve spent years holding things in out of habit, shame, or social conditioning, you’re not alone. Many women have. But your body deserves space to relax, release, and regulate naturally. Healing the gut is sometimes just as much about emotional permission as it is about food choices.
Your body is not something to be embarrassed by. It is something to support.