Sorry Ladies: Women’s Farts Smell Worse Than Men’s

Sarah Kester
Couple in bed
Unsplash | Adam Winger

Whether we like to admit it or not, everybody farts.

Some farts are worse than others, though, and surprisingly this title doesn’t belong to the men!

Research has actually been done to confirm what the men of the world knew all along: women's farts smell worse than men's.

The reason why will knock the wind out of you! 

First, let's learn some scientific facts about farts, shall we?

Woman's stomach
Unsplash | Jasmin Chew

#1: Holding in your farts won't kill you. This piece of fake news has been used as an excuse to let 'er rip for centuries upon centuries! But it's just not true.

It will, however, feel a bit uncomfortable.

Woman saying she needs to poop
Giphy | TLC

"Your digestive tract is like one of those big balloons clowns use to make animals," Lisa Ganjhu, a doctor of osteopathy and a clinical assistant professor of medicine and gastroenterology at NYU Langone Medical Center, told Women's Health.

“Anything that affects downstream will affect upstream.”

Paul Rudd on toilet
Paste | Apatow Productions

What this means is that holding in your farts leads to air buildup in your gastrointestinal tract, which will eventually push and lead to bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, and general discomfort.

Do this repeatedly and it could lead to a distended bowel.

Fact #2: Adults fart about 14 to 23 times per day

Farting in elevator
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That's a lot of time spent cutting the cheese, especially when you multiply that number by the number of adults in the world. So if someone tries to keep denying that they dealt it, just show them this fact.

If you're over feeling so gassy (and so are those around you), there are some remedies.

Beans
Unsplash | Shelley Pauls

First, look at the kind of food you're eating. You'll want to cut back on gas-producing foods, such as beans, dairy products, and pears. Also, cut back on chewing gum.

Fact #3: Farts can be visible in cold air.

Air bubble
Unsplash | Aaron Burden

Watch yourself this winter! You never know who might be looking. The reason farts are visible in the wintertime is the same reason why we can see our breath in cold weather.

And now, we come to the most surprising fact of all: women's farts smell worse than men's.

Charlotte upset stomach
Beauty Heaven | Universal

This all comes down to a science: women's farts contain significantly higher concentrations of hydrogen sulfide — the ingredient that makes farts smell bad.

A study was even done to prove this fact.

Lab equipment
Unsplash | Misael Moreno

In 1998, flatus (the medical term for a fart) was collected from both men and women via a rectal tube.

"Flatus was quantitatively collected via rectal tube from 16 healthy subjects who ingested pinto beans and lactulose to enhance flatus output," the study said.

"The concentrations of sulphur-containing gases in each passage were correlated with odour intensity assessed by two judges."

The Rock smelling
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Yes, this means that two brave individuals signed up to smell people's farts and judge them. You couldn't pay us enough money to do that.

This was after these 16 healthy adults, ranging from ages 18 to 47, ate 200 grams of pinto beans the night before.

Beans
Unsplash | Shelley Pauls

They also ate 15 grams of lactulose two hours before the study.

In the end, it was found that men have a sulphur concentration of 0.59 in each fart, whereas women have a recording of 1.77.

Although men's farts were larger — 119ml in volume versus 88ml in women — it all came down to what smelled worse.

Woman shocked
Giphy | Tennis TV

To the two judges, the worst odor came from the ladies. Time to lay off the beans, ladies!