Why does vaginal gas occur?

Most women will definitely find that there is gas discharge in the vagina. Don’t worry too much when encountering this situation. This is a normal physiological phenomenon, just like everyone farts. Sometimes it is uncontrollable. As long as vaginal gas discharge does not occur frequently and there are no other symptoms in the body, there is no need to worry too much. So what are the causes of vaginal gas discharge?

Why does vaginal gas occur?

Reason 1

Most cases of vaginal flatulence due to postpartum physical weakness occur in postpartum women, especially those who have given birth multiple times or have weak constitutions. In traditional Chinese medicine, this is considered as "severe deficiency of qi and blood, and sinking of the middle qi." To explore its mechanism, we have to start with the changes in the birth canal during delivery. During delivery, the fetus passes through the birth canal and the vagina expands and relaxes significantly. The muscle tissue and fascia that support the vaginal wall of the pelvic floor are broken or overstretched and lose elasticity. As a result, the front and back walls of the vagina cannot fit closely together and a cavity is formed. Perineal laceration causes the external opening of the vagina to open, making it unable to cover the vagina and allowing air to enter the vagina. This condition can usually be recovered during the postpartum period, but some women cannot fully recover, especially if the labor lasts too long, the fetus is large or the pelvis is narrow, making delivery difficult, or vaginal surgery such as forceps or vacuum extraction can cause severe damage to the pelvic floor tissue, making it difficult to recover. Due to repeated injuries to the birth canal, the vagina of multiparous women is naturally looser. For pregnant women with weak constitutions, even if the injuries are not serious, their recovery will be slower. In the above situation, when negative pressure is formed in the vagina (such as lying on your back, inhaling, etc.), the air enters the deepest part of the vagina (the dome). When you stand up or increase abdominal pressure, the air is discharged from the vagina, often with a sound.

The treatment of vaginal flatulence caused by this reason includes three aspects:

(1) Taking medicines that can greatly replenish qi and blood and improve the vital energy;

(2) Strengthen physical fitness and promote postpartum recovery

(3) Local muscle training: In addition to postpartum health exercises, focus on pelvic floor, anal and vaginal muscle contraction exercises to help restore the birth canal.

Reason 2

Vaginal infection Some women with vaginitis may also experience vaginal flatulence, but in these patients, the airflow from the vagina is mostly weak, and the more important symptoms are increased leucorrhea, vulvar itching or vaginal discomfort. This is because the microorganisms that infect the vagina produce gas during the reproduction process and exist in the vagina. When the body position changes or the abdominal pressure increases, these gases are discharged from the vagina. Most of the pathogenic microorganisms are anaerobic bacteria or Trichomonas vaginalis. When this happens, you should go to the hospital to see a gynecologist and receive treatment under the guidance of a doctor.

Reason 3

Rectovaginal fistula is a less common cause. It occurs when an abnormal passage (fistula) exists between the rectum and vagina. When anal gas is discharged, a small amount of gas passes through the fistula into the vagina and then out of the body. The cause of its occurrence can be congenital or acquired. The former is called congenital rectal-vaginal fistula, which exists at birth, so the symptoms appear from the neonatal stage; the latter mainly occurs from birth trauma, rectal or vaginal surgical trauma, or late-stage cancer necrosis of the diaphragm between the rectum and vagina. Symptoms appear shortly after delivery or surgery, or are accompanied by manifestations of advanced cancer (purulence and blood in the stool or vagina). In this case, you need to go to the hospital for examination, repair surgery or treatment of the cancer.