You might feel embarrassed for farting during sex, but it’s a completely normal. In fact, it happens to many people, both men and women.

The digestive process doesn’t stop during sex. When you last ate, what you ate, and when you had your last bowel movement can all affect when you have to fart.

In women, farting may also occur due to the sliding motion of the penis inside the vagina. The pressure caused by this motion places pressure on the anus, which is next to the vaginal wall.

Sometimes gas pockets form in the anus and are forced out during sex. Farting during sex can happen in virtually any position and at any time.

Some people find that farting during sex is more common during orgasm, when the body’s tense muscles suddenly relax. This can release gas.

Farting during sex is much more likely for pregnant women.

All the hormonal changes that happen during pregnancy can cause a lot of gas to build up in the body. Specifically, your body will have higher than normal levels of progesterone. This hormone relaxes your muscles and slows digestion, leading to more gas.

You may also find that you experience nausea during pregnancy. This can affect your eating and bowel habits, sometimes contributing to more gas. Getting the nausea under control might help alleviate some of your gas during sex.

Farting during sex is usually not a cause for concern, especially if it happens infrequently. However, if you’re frequently farting during sex, make an appointment to see your doctor. They can check for physical issues that may be causing you to fart during sex.

If there’s no physical cause for the extra gas, you can make some lifestyle changes that can help prevent it from happening:

  • Try using over-the-counter anti-gas medications. These work by preventing gas and breaking up gas bubbles if they form in your digestive tract.
  • Have a bowel movement prior to having sex.
  • Reduce the amount of carbonated drinks and hard-to-digest foods in your diet. These often result in large amounts of gas, bloating, and burping.
  • Consume smaller portions of foods, especially foods that cause gas.
  • Eat more slowly to help reduce the amount of air you swallow when you eat.
  • Stay away from chewing gum, sucking hard candies, and drinking through straws. These are all things that can increase the amount of gas in your body.
  • Make sure your dentures fit properly. Ill-fitting dentures can cause you to swallow extra air when you eat and drink, causing gas.
  • Avoid smoking. Smoking can increase the amount of air you swallow and gas your body produces.
  • Exercise regularly to help move gas through your digestive tract.

During sex, farts aren’t the only kind of gas passed. Women are also prone to passing vaginal gas — what some call “queefing.” Vaginal gas is very normal.

The vagina isn’t just a straight tube. It has lots of wrinkles and folds called rugae. These areas can trap gas. Usually these gas pockets are released once the vaginal muscles totally relax, after a woman reaches orgasm. It can sound just like a fart, but it comes from the vagina.

Sometimes this can also happen during exercise when the vaginal muscles might tighten, like when running or crunching.

Societal standards may make you feel like you should be embarrassed about this — but you shouldn’t be! It’s a completely natural body function. Talk to your partner about it if you feel uncomfortable. Or you can just laugh it off.

You can’t always prevent farting during sex. But there are some things you can do to keep it at bay. You can try adjusting your lifestyle to minimize the amount of gas your body produces. And if you think you have a medical issue causing your farting, pay a visit to your doctor for a physical evaluation.

Remember that farting during sex is nothing to be ashamed about. Sometimes it just happens, and that’s OK.