TikTok Just Taught Us a New Pooping Trick for Vagina-Havers With Constipation — But Is It Safe?

Thanks to it’s secret sauce, way-to-perfect algorithm and addictive interface, TikTok has become the place to learn new things to make your WFH life better, your butt look better and your pasta more baked feta-y. But TikTok’s influence has most recently stepped into the realm of the bathroom, bringing users some relatable constipation content involving a “either you know, you know” trick for getting your more stubborn number twos to move.

In the video, posted by user Ambria Alice Walter-Field, she asked about some of the pros that come with being a vagina-owner and brought up the situation: “You know when you’re struggling to go for a ‘P-O-O’ and you just [she gestured a thumb and finger pop maneuver] and then it’s fine.”

Commenters on the original post reacted with a mix of “oh, me too!” and “what? you can do that?” (to be fair, the term my friends had for this was “pussy popping your poop out” — but it’s actual name “splinting” or “perineal pressure” is way less crude.)

In the follow up video the next day, Walter-Field elaborated: “When you’re constipated, and your poop is there but you can’t quite push it out—it’s like turtling—just put your thumb in your vagina. You can feel the poop and you can just pop it out.”

But, like, is this good for you?

Per University of Michigan, Perianal Pressure/Splinting is a technique that can allow you to “move the stool out of the anal canal” without strain (which can cause more damage to your downstairs plumbing.

“Sometimes it is difficult to have a bowel movement without straining. Straining to have a bowel movement can cause problems with weakening of the pelvic floor, causing rectoceles, pelvic organ prolapses and hemorrhoids,” they write. Citing the optional accessories of lube, a rubber glove or a tampon if you’re squeamish about just using your finger as is) they recommend the following procedure: “Lubricate your finger (1 or 2 fingers) or tampon (optional), insert into your vagina, and press back against the anus. This should help push the stool in your anal canal out.”

And Is it bad for you? No! It’s a technique that’s useful to know about and necessary in certain situations — but if you’re finding that every bowel movement (or even a consistent number of them) are requiring this extra technique and that you’re at risk of frequently straining when you’re trying to go to the bathroom, you may want to consider some dietary changes, maybe score yourself a good toilet ottoman and, most importantly, have a talk with your doctor about your poop experiences and concerns. After all, your poop can tell you a lot about your overall health!

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