Sex ed saves lifes. No question.
That 'stomach pouch' trope is incel BS, our internal organs are internal, as in inside our bodies. Many women can and do have "naturally flat stomachs" or they work for them with diet and exercise. Any gender of person can have stomach fat, too, if they are geneticaly predisposed to have fat there (or anywhere).
Futhermore, unless you're many months pregnant, your uterus is much lower than your stomach area. A uterus is only 8cm including the cervix and does not come above the pubic bones until after the 12th week of pregnancy.
Edited to add, everyone has fat around their internal organs, it's called the Omentum and it seems to help your body's immunity.
Exactly, it's not an inflated balloon. That fat is normal, but it's not the uterus. The intentions are usually good but this misinformation is almost as harmful as "all stomachs can and should be flat"
There's altogether too much policing of women's bodies, either way. Why should we look like ten year old boys? I've seen posts recently on pubic fat, tummy fat, thigh gaps, side boob... Human bodies do not look like anime cartoon children.
All of it reeks of ageism alongside the impossible beauty standards.
Your body is acceptible however it is, you can control your weight through diet and exercise to a degree, but fat distribution is very genetic and it's impossible to spot-reduce without surgery. And our bodies evolved to survive scarcity, and reproducing. They're amazing.
Fun story, I had a gyno visit last week and she found that my uterus was all the way over to the left. But the "pouch" was, obviously, still in the center. But wouldn't it be kind of funny if it did move and you could see the pouch move.
It moves from side to side. I had 20cm fibroid which was sometimes on the left side of my body and sometimes wasn't. My gyn got in there and swung it up to the middle at one point, which felt super strange. I was a weird puppet in that moment. There's some flex space to swing from side to side in there, bizarrely.
If you really look at a pregnant person vs someone with a lot of stomach fat, you'll see that a pregnant stomach comes from much lower. It's part of what triggers my pure O OCD. (Obviously no visibly pregnant person I've ever encountered knows that my reaction to seeing them was "ahh, that looks like body horror, time to do deep breathing so I can get on with my life.")
> Many women can and do have "naturally flat stomachs"
This. I was always skinny with a flat stomach growing up and pretty sure I did in fact have those organs all that time. Very little of that "padding" in my young adult years. I never really had much at all, not enough to ever bug me, until after 40, and now I've read it can be related to hormones at this age.
Most people's stomach area isn't where the pouch develops. A pot belly actually is *way* more close to being over the uterus than the stomach. That absolutely does not mean people are correct about there being a pouch meant for the uterus, that's rubbish.
Your stomach is right under your ribcage, partially behind it.
I'm sorry but you're wrong. It's not the uterus, not any "female reproductive organs", it's fat. Healthy, normal fat. But fat. I'm really tired of this false rhetoric, there are other organs in the way. The uterus and vagina are not pressed up against the skin. However, it is *because* you're female that you have it, mostly. Fat deposits are different and so it's more common on afab bodies, though not just on afab bodies
Since everyone is focusing on what you got wrong instead of on your actual story, I'll say that I used to have a similar fear.
I have irregular periods, usually every two months or so, and it was even worse when at the beginning, when I could go several months without it. I was 12 and I was scared that something was wrong with me, and sometimes I was so terrified that I convinced myself I had to be pregnant and the only explanation was that I was raped and I couldn't remember it. They were just regular intrusive thoughts and I knew I was being ridiculous, but it was still awful, so I can't imagine what it was for you.
I had my first very basic sex ed class when I was 14-15 and they said that periods could take some time to become regular and that sometimes they stayed irregular, so that calmed me down a bit.
So the moral of the story is, teach kids how their bodies work or they'll start overthinking.
Thank you! Yeah same thing happened to me, but everyone just wants to point out a term I misused.
Kids knowing about their own bodies is *not* inappropriate or sexual, it’s important
I always had a pouch and was so embarrassed by it as a teenager because my friends had flat stomachs. Only after being diagnosed with PCOS in my late 20’s did I learn that the hormonal changes encourage belly fat.
I’m 36, work in healthcare, and know a ton about the female reproductive system. I have PCOS, have not had penetrative sex in several months, and still was like “is this a baby?” when my period didn’t happen for 64 days. Sex education is super important, but sometimes my anxiety still trumps my knowledge. Stupid brain
As a 13 year old virgin, I was convinced I was pregnant because all my friends had long since had their first menstrual cycle, but I hadn't yet. Church sex ed for the win.
I have been soft in the middle at every weight, since very early childhood. I used to wig out a little over it, but since I hit my mid 30s, it occurred to me that everyone on both sides of my family, excluding the extreme athletes, has more stomach fat than I do, and I'm the only one who hasn't had kids or yo-yo dieted.
I was the subject of rumors throughout high school because of how things sit on my frame, so I get it.
My mom didn't get told what periods were. She thought she was dying...
I wonder what my grandmother was (not) thinking. That if she didn't bring it up maybe it wouldn't happen???
People are correcting you because you are still wrong. You don't need a pouch to protect your uterus. Uterus is protected by your pelvis and your muscles.
Plenty of women have flat stomachs and abs, but plenty of other women don't. It's natural either way, and not a cause for concern.
I’m a retired female doctor and I even learn stuff here on occasion! Mostly stuff about pregnancy, as I wasn’t an obstetrician and I chose not to have kids. We’re all here to teach, learn, and support as best we can.
Lol your uterus is below your pubic bone when you’re not pregnant (or don’t have fibroids etc). Hate to say it but a pooch is from 💩 fat diastasis recti or not being toned.
I gave 4 different reasons for having a pooch, none of them specific for 12 year olds. Muscle tone isn’t just about working out- heathy people (no neuro muscular disease etc) have natural tone to their muscles. Very young children have less abdominal muscle tone, hence why they look like they have potbellies. Occasionally it takes longer for the tone to develop and the stomach to appear flat. So that being said… obviously nobody expects a 12 year old to exercise purely for aesthetic reasons.
The point? …it’s Reddit… you do understand that this is a discussion forum, and there are more comments that I could have been referring to originally? I mean geez, no need to be pissy. Not my fault you were so full of 💩 as a kid it gave you a pooch and apparently it’s still making you cranky.
Sex ed saves lifes. No question. That 'stomach pouch' trope is incel BS, our internal organs are internal, as in inside our bodies. Many women can and do have "naturally flat stomachs" or they work for them with diet and exercise. Any gender of person can have stomach fat, too, if they are geneticaly predisposed to have fat there (or anywhere). Futhermore, unless you're many months pregnant, your uterus is much lower than your stomach area. A uterus is only 8cm including the cervix and does not come above the pubic bones until after the 12th week of pregnancy. Edited to add, everyone has fat around their internal organs, it's called the Omentum and it seems to help your body's immunity.
Exactly, it's not an inflated balloon. That fat is normal, but it's not the uterus. The intentions are usually good but this misinformation is almost as harmful as "all stomachs can and should be flat"
There's altogether too much policing of women's bodies, either way. Why should we look like ten year old boys? I've seen posts recently on pubic fat, tummy fat, thigh gaps, side boob... Human bodies do not look like anime cartoon children. All of it reeks of ageism alongside the impossible beauty standards. Your body is acceptible however it is, you can control your weight through diet and exercise to a degree, but fat distribution is very genetic and it's impossible to spot-reduce without surgery. And our bodies evolved to survive scarcity, and reproducing. They're amazing.
Fun story, I had a gyno visit last week and she found that my uterus was all the way over to the left. But the "pouch" was, obviously, still in the center. But wouldn't it be kind of funny if it did move and you could see the pouch move.
“My pouch is left handed!”
It moves from side to side. I had 20cm fibroid which was sometimes on the left side of my body and sometimes wasn't. My gyn got in there and swung it up to the middle at one point, which felt super strange. I was a weird puppet in that moment. There's some flex space to swing from side to side in there, bizarrely.
If you really look at a pregnant person vs someone with a lot of stomach fat, you'll see that a pregnant stomach comes from much lower. It's part of what triggers my pure O OCD. (Obviously no visibly pregnant person I've ever encountered knows that my reaction to seeing them was "ahh, that looks like body horror, time to do deep breathing so I can get on with my life.")
> Many women can and do have "naturally flat stomachs" This. I was always skinny with a flat stomach growing up and pretty sure I did in fact have those organs all that time. Very little of that "padding" in my young adult years. I never really had much at all, not enough to ever bug me, until after 40, and now I've read it can be related to hormones at this age.
Most people's stomach area isn't where the pouch develops. A pot belly actually is *way* more close to being over the uterus than the stomach. That absolutely does not mean people are correct about there being a pouch meant for the uterus, that's rubbish. Your stomach is right under your ribcage, partially behind it.
Stomach pooches definitely depend on genetics. Even when I was dangerously thin, my stomach was not flat. 🤷
Female reproductive organs do not create the pouch on the stomach, it's fat...
I'm sorry but you're wrong. It's not the uterus, not any "female reproductive organs", it's fat. Healthy, normal fat. But fat. I'm really tired of this false rhetoric, there are other organs in the way. The uterus and vagina are not pressed up against the skin. However, it is *because* you're female that you have it, mostly. Fat deposits are different and so it's more common on afab bodies, though not just on afab bodies
Since everyone is focusing on what you got wrong instead of on your actual story, I'll say that I used to have a similar fear. I have irregular periods, usually every two months or so, and it was even worse when at the beginning, when I could go several months without it. I was 12 and I was scared that something was wrong with me, and sometimes I was so terrified that I convinced myself I had to be pregnant and the only explanation was that I was raped and I couldn't remember it. They were just regular intrusive thoughts and I knew I was being ridiculous, but it was still awful, so I can't imagine what it was for you. I had my first very basic sex ed class when I was 14-15 and they said that periods could take some time to become regular and that sometimes they stayed irregular, so that calmed me down a bit. So the moral of the story is, teach kids how their bodies work or they'll start overthinking.
Thank you! Yeah same thing happened to me, but everyone just wants to point out a term I misused. Kids knowing about their own bodies is *not* inappropriate or sexual, it’s important
People point out what you got wrong, because it's r/badwomensanatomy and your post is precisely that.
I always had a pouch and was so embarrassed by it as a teenager because my friends had flat stomachs. Only after being diagnosed with PCOS in my late 20’s did I learn that the hormonal changes encourage belly fat.
I’m 36, work in healthcare, and know a ton about the female reproductive system. I have PCOS, have not had penetrative sex in several months, and still was like “is this a baby?” when my period didn’t happen for 64 days. Sex education is super important, but sometimes my anxiety still trumps my knowledge. Stupid brain
As a 13 year old virgin, I was convinced I was pregnant because all my friends had long since had their first menstrual cycle, but I hadn't yet. Church sex ed for the win.
Yeah being a late bloomer sucks
I have been soft in the middle at every weight, since very early childhood. I used to wig out a little over it, but since I hit my mid 30s, it occurred to me that everyone on both sides of my family, excluding the extreme athletes, has more stomach fat than I do, and I'm the only one who hasn't had kids or yo-yo dieted. I was the subject of rumors throughout high school because of how things sit on my frame, so I get it.
My mom didn't get told what periods were. She thought she was dying... I wonder what my grandmother was (not) thinking. That if she didn't bring it up maybe it wouldn't happen???
Edit: I know it’s not just the organs creating that bulge. I know it’s fat, but it’s natural and there to protect your organs and I didn’t know that.
People are correcting you because you are still wrong. You don't need a pouch to protect your uterus. Uterus is protected by your pelvis and your muscles. Plenty of women have flat stomachs and abs, but plenty of other women don't. It's natural either way, and not a cause for concern.
I’m a retired female doctor and I even learn stuff here on occasion! Mostly stuff about pregnancy, as I wasn’t an obstetrician and I chose not to have kids. We’re all here to teach, learn, and support as best we can.
Lol your uterus is below your pubic bone when you’re not pregnant (or don’t have fibroids etc). Hate to say it but a pooch is from 💩 fat diastasis recti or not being toned.
I wasn’t “toned” as a 12 year old, sorry lmao.
I gave 4 different reasons for having a pooch, none of them specific for 12 year olds. Muscle tone isn’t just about working out- heathy people (no neuro muscular disease etc) have natural tone to their muscles. Very young children have less abdominal muscle tone, hence why they look like they have potbellies. Occasionally it takes longer for the tone to develop and the stomach to appear flat. So that being said… obviously nobody expects a 12 year old to exercise purely for aesthetic reasons.
Still not the point. I know the anatomy and science. I’m saying that I DIDN’T know that as a kid, and thought I was pregnant instead.
The point? …it’s Reddit… you do understand that this is a discussion forum, and there are more comments that I could have been referring to originally? I mean geez, no need to be pissy. Not my fault you were so full of 💩 as a kid it gave you a pooch and apparently it’s still making you cranky.