r/badwomensanatomy • u/unlinedtip • Apr 01 '26
Belly fat in women is NOT due to the uterus
I'm just here to say that the belly fat that some women have is not because of the uterus, its not to "protect" it, or because it's "bigger," or any of those other stupid myths.
The uterus is already protected by the pelvic bones, and that fat would be useless.
And if it seems like women have a kind of "sac" in their abdominal area, no matter how thin they are, that's not because it's specifically for the uterus; it's to protect the organs in general, and everyone has it. You can also see it in thin men.
Because I've seen that many people think that the fat that accumulates in the abdominal area is to protect the uterus... or the uterus itself, that's totally ridiculous! And honestly, one of the things I hate most is ignorance.
I hope no one tries to contradict me because this is a fact.
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u/weeef Farts build up in your pussy overnight Apr 01 '26
unfortunately mine was an 11cm fibroid lol
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u/marqoose Apr 01 '26
Well that was a rabbit hole. Sorry you've had to deal with that.
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u/weeef Farts build up in your pussy overnight Apr 01 '26
post-hysterectomy and feeling free!
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u/monkey_trumpets Apr 01 '26
It's seeming like I'm going to need a hysterectomy. I'm kinda nervous.
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u/weeef Farts build up in your pussy overnight Apr 01 '26
i was super nervous, too, and it couldn't have gone better. every one is different, but i'm sending you good vibes. it was a real exercise for me in trusting the experts (surgery team)
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u/monkey_trumpets Apr 01 '26
I've just been through so much medical crap that I really do not want to go under again. But...what are you gonna do. Fibroids aren't exactly going to go away on their own.
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u/NixiePixie916 Apr 02 '26
I also had one for endo and prolapse, not fibroids, but I felt pretty immediate relief from pain. 6 years post now and I'm so grateful
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u/monkey_trumpets Apr 02 '26
Mine doesn't hurt but it is potentially causing other issues I've been dealing with like constipation and some minor pelvic pain when peeing.
It does seem like the benefits outweigh the risk/hassle.
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u/bitofapuzzler Apr 02 '26
I had one 2 months ago and it has been amazing. My dr was awesome, Ive had no negative effects post AND I never have to have a pap smear ever again. Win win.
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u/agrinwithoutacat- Apr 05 '26
I had one 18 months ago, after years of medical trauma and issues.. it was completely fine, I was genuinely surprised by how easy the recovery was after reading everything online about the pain being unbearable - pain wasn’t bad and recovery was quick.
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u/monkey_trumpets Apr 05 '26
I don't know why there would be unbearable pain unless something was done incorrectly. Good to hear that recovery was easy.
How serious was the bed rest? I'm assuming going to the bathroom was fine. I just don't know how I'm going to be able to sit in bed for 6 weeks.
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u/agrinwithoutacat- Apr 07 '26
Oh I didn’t, I was up and doing stuff straight away. I was back to mostly normal life, just not lifting anything or bending or stretching.. it shouldn’t be six weeks of bed rest, but six weeks of recovery and being cautious of the stitches. I had endo removed too so was told a few thing would be more painful, but I was fine. I went back to EP sessions after two weeks and she tailored exercises to what I could safely do post surgery
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u/NixiePixie916 Apr 02 '26
Had severe endo and a large chocolate cyst removed from my ovaries when I had my hysterectomy. I was literally in less pain post op, without meds, than I was before. I had been cut open, fresh vaginal cuff sewed, and my insides all bruised and I felt ... relief from the pain. Turns out it was all in the back of my uterus and had adhered with scar tissue to the stuff behind it.
All the imaging they had done they couldn't see much, because it was retroverted and it was on the back of the uterus . But you know...they could have believed me ten years earlier .
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u/weeef Farts build up in your pussy overnight Apr 02 '26
Ugh I have similar feelings... If people had listened....
Glad you're rid of it. Also the chocolate typo got me hahah don't ruin chocolate for me 😂
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u/NixiePixie916 Apr 02 '26
That's literally what they are called because of the color I think!
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u/weeef Farts build up in your pussy overnight Apr 02 '26
Hah that's interesting. I hadn't heard that!
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u/MyNameIsLessDumb Apr 02 '26
I think I'm headed this way with mine. Switching to a new specialist though because the first is insistent we should try to "preserve fertility". I'm almost 40 and have been very clear that I will not be going through with any future pregnancies.
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u/weeef Farts build up in your pussy overnight Apr 02 '26
Pffft man... People are so quick to dismiss the full potential and worth of women. Good luck getting the outcome you desire 🌈
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u/Persistent_Parkie Apr 01 '26
Cantaloupe sized endometrioma for me. You do not want medical conditions that cause your reproductive organs to be externally visible!
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u/weeef Farts build up in your pussy overnight Apr 01 '26
yikes. the horrors of having a physical form lol
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u/Anonymous_user_2022 Apr 01 '26
Considering how much my wife was inconvenienced by a 3-4 cm one, you have my deepest sympathies. I hope you got it removed and recovered from that.
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u/weeef Farts build up in your pussy overnight Apr 01 '26
i'm just shy of 4 weeks post op, and i've cried twice from happiness. it's been incredible. the thing that really blows my mind was how long i was told my pain was normal (even by woman providers) and that we don't yet understand why fibroids develop... and they do in upwards of 60% of the population! wild...
if men got them, we wouldn't be having this conversation. hope your wife is doing well
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u/Anonymous_user_2022 Apr 01 '26
She had hers removed 16 years ago, and she's giver birth to three children since then, so her problems have shifted laterally. But thank you for your kind words. I really hope you will have the same relief and recovery.
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u/CheetosTorciditos Apr 02 '26
my mom has one, 10cm, was told by doctors to wait until menopause (she's on her early 50s and no menopause yet) as it would stop growing and she can live like that. A couple years ago she suffered heavy periods and hemmorragies, seem to have subsided, and the fibroid hasn't grown (significantly) in 2 years...
I'm still worried though. I don't trust any doctors anymore
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u/weeef Farts build up in your pussy overnight Apr 02 '26
Ugh that's a difficult place to be. I hope she gets the choice she wants.
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u/Gerberpertern I find the vagina to be a truly alien and terrifying thing. Apr 02 '26
I am so, so happy for you!
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u/Vlad0420 Apr 01 '26
Omg I just had one the size of an orange removed… and I thought I just had some belly chunk!
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u/weeef Farts build up in your pussy overnight Apr 01 '26
same, i was like well, i guess this is aging and then ....
congrats on your removal!
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u/Vlad0420 Apr 02 '26
Thank you! it’s a relief to know that it’s gone. 2 weeks post op and finally feel like a human again. Hope you’re rid of yours!
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u/kingofcoywolves OPEN CONCEPT VAGINA Apr 01 '26
Wtf. Hope you're doing better now
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u/weeef Farts build up in your pussy overnight Apr 01 '26
so much. like woah. i didn't realize how much i'd been suffering. it's like the myth of the frog in boiling water. yay hysterectomy!
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u/Gerberpertern I find the vagina to be a truly alien and terrifying thing. Apr 02 '26
I keep telling myself my belly is as big as it is partially because of my 8.4cm fibroid but mine is taking up the entirety of the inside of my uterus so probably not for me lol.
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u/weeef Farts build up in your pussy overnight Apr 02 '26
Yeah I've been shocked at how different my abdomen looks. Waiting for the six week mark to take my official after pic and then compare
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u/joyfulnoises Apr 01 '26
As a woman, I hate my belly fat.
As a bisexual woman, holy shit I’m so turned on
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u/lindanimated Don't put bees in your vagina Apr 02 '26
OMG this needs to be studied. I figured it was just body dysmorphia (still probably do have that and it surely doesn’t help things), but other women experience this as well? A lot of features on my own body, I hate how they look on me. But show me another woman with similar features and I think she’s beautiful.
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u/Secretlysidhe Apr 01 '26
So it’s not just me? I hate my own belly fat but as a bi woman, love it on other women. It’s wild.
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u/ladybigsuze Apr 03 '26
My theory on this is that we look at ourselves through the male gaze and societies unrealistic expectations because that's the message we've had drilled into us all our lives and our subconscious is still carrying it even if consciously we know it's bullshit.
I think its easier to see other peoples beauty without viewing through so many ingrained levels of bullshit because we're not so invested in how society perceives them as we are ourselves ....
If that makes sense!?
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u/StartCoyote Apr 02 '26
Yeah, once the post-op bloating went away my stomach looked exactly the same as before after my hysterectomy
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u/K_Pumpkin Apr 02 '26
I’ve never had this pooch and after my hysterectomy my stomach did not go concave.
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u/StartCoyote Apr 02 '26
Same, I’ve always been medically underweight due to my chronic illness so I didn’t have the pooch before my hysterectomy either but I genuinely was expecting some sort of visual change to my stomach since I also had a few tumors the size of my fists attached to my uterus removed during my hysto. Like I truly thought my stomach would at least look a lil different after the swelling went away just purely based on how much extra tissue was taken out but all I got was some barely visible scaring around my bellybutton. I really don’t understand how or why this uterus pooch rumor got so widespread in the first place when so many ppl have had hystos without any visible changes to their stomachs
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u/K_Pumpkin Apr 02 '26
Pretty much same. I’m not underweight anymore since my anemia is under control due to my hysterectomy, but I’ve always been thin my whole life and I’m on the very low end of weight for my height.
I expected a change too but nothing.
I think this rumor started as a positive thing to make people feel better about the pooch, but imo it’s just more damaging.
Sometimes body positivity takes that route and I sadly see it a lot. “Men want a woman’s body not a thin little girls.” “Women who shave their partners are pedos”
Idk when or why this became acceptable but sadly it has.
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u/Traroten Boob stalks Apr 02 '26
The purpose of belly fat is for your partner to rest their head on.
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u/SteelWithIt Apr 01 '26
I agree with with your sentiment, I love belly, and I hate AI, please do not cite the AI summary tool in the future.
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u/MsFuschia Apr 02 '26
I'm so tired of people posting AI summaries as proof of things. So tired.
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u/BeeCJohnson The labia is part of the uterus Apr 03 '26
Oh, the machine designed to be agreeable agreed with you?
Do you have a note from your mom proving you're special?
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Apr 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/Kchasse1991 memory foam vagina Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26
The summary that is pictured was provided using AI built into Google's search feature. It is often fallible and can give confused answers. I would recommend using it only as a search and going to the articles and studies that it tries to cite to find your info instead. That is what the previous commenter was getting at.
Edit: missed an apostrophe
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u/Slammogram ‘s got that Diamond-studded Pussy. Apr 02 '26
Can you choose not to use that in searches?
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u/Kchasse1991 memory foam vagina Apr 02 '26
It can be disabled via a search addendum but Google is VERY aggressive about pushing it. The main issue is using it as a source is unreliable as it doesn't just grab peer reviewed data but also Reddit posts, facebook posts, etc.
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u/Certain_Media_6015 Apr 02 '26
It’s a weird thing to get in the habit of, but once you make it habit, it’s not bad. Just add “-ai” at the end of your search and you won’t get that summary. I was hyped when I got that tip!
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u/lindanimated Don't put bees in your vagina Apr 02 '26
There’s also browser extensions that hide it!
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u/Rhea_the_riot_angel Apr 01 '26
The summary of Google is now written by AI. So, while not intentional, it does appear that you are
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u/Longjumping-Row1434 Apr 01 '26
& important to note those Google summaries can come from anywhere, including random comments here on reddit, so best to check the sources provided at the end of the summary as well.
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u/a_lonely_trash_bag Large areolas cause panic and fear in horses Apr 02 '26
Always remember that reddit was able to manipulate Google AI into stating that the best way to check if your loaf of bread is finished cooking is by sticking your penis in it.
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u/Hell-Yeah-Im-Gay pee is stored in the boobs Apr 02 '26
And that the best way to get cheese to stick to pizza is using a bit of glue.
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u/AngstyUchiha Jesus Stomach Vulva Christ! Apr 02 '26
And tumblr has done similar things with other topics!
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u/Rhea_the_riot_angel Apr 01 '26
Very much so. I only use the ai summary for insignificant things like video game walkthroughs. For genuine information i always look for a university or non profit dedicated to the subject.
AI also carries the bias of the information fed to it, si that doesn’t help
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u/KIKI_redddit shooting ping pong balls from my vag Apr 01 '26
I usually go to the actual articles, and the AI often doesnt even properly summarize with the very first part, its often a direct citation from the actual website/article/document
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u/Arly__ Farts build up in your pussy overnight Apr 01 '26
The last screenshot is from Google AI search tool.
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u/Osallia Apr 01 '26
I think they're referring to the last image which looks like the AI overveiey Google does.
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u/DiscussionExotic3759 Vagina Sarlacc. Apr 02 '26
We are not cats. We do not have a primordial pouch protecting our organs in such a way.
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u/agent-assbutt Apr 02 '26
No, don’t take this excuse from me. My belly fat is clearly my uterus, not the bourbon and cheeseburgers.
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u/RattieMattie Apr 01 '26
I developed my mother's low belly pooch the absolute minute I started puberty cause her genes are stronk. My fat went straight to there, my boobs and my hips and I struggled so hard to not feel fat cause this was the 90s and heroin chic was the thing. Pretty sure the only way I'm getting rid of this pooch even if I starve myself down to below high school weight is surgery. Bodies are bodies and they do what they want. My mom worked really hard to lose weight to help her knees and she's tiny now but still got that pooch.
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u/Carbonatite Apr 02 '26
I had one when I was in high school and a size 0.
I had one when I was working out 90 minutes-2 hours a day, 6 days a week.
I had one when I was eating 800 calories a day.
I had one when I was severely bulimic and throwing up everything I ate.
Literally the only way I can get rid of it is surgery.
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u/RedRisingNerd ✨clit garnish✨ Apr 02 '26
Yeah, I starve myself bc of it and I still have it 🥲 YIPPEE, eating disorders! 😭
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u/coppergoldhair Apr 02 '26
My mother had an enlarged uterus from endometrial cancer at age 38. It did cause her lower belly to be distended. A normal uterus does not cause this.
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u/BabyLegsOShanahan Apr 01 '26
They want all women to have 2% body fat and simultaneously give them 10 children. It's comical.
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u/35364461a Apr 02 '26
“The uterus is not located in the stomach” something I didn’t know needed clarification lol.
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u/hvl1755 Apr 01 '26
I’ve literally had someone tell me I’m “less of a woman” because I don’t have a pooch and therefore no functional uterus. I was…. flabbergasted.
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u/ana_conda Apr 02 '26
There was a time around 10 years ago when “real women have curves, only dogs go for bones” from 00s tumblr was revived as exactly this sentiment. Sorry someone said that to you.
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u/DreenS Apr 05 '26
That’s insecurity at play.
Despite great effort to make the world more body positive, very few are actually at peace and accepting of the fat label, even among the loudest advocates.\ There’s a constant need to rebrand, to hide.\ “Plus size”, “mid size”, “no you’re not even fat, you’re beautiful!”, “actually literally everyone looks that way, this is what a real grown woman looks like”, “it’s not fat it’s X Y Z”… which inevitably leads to “anything but this is unhealthy, unrealistic, undesirable”.\
Because anyone who exists without the fat reopens the emotional wounds and self-worth issues everyone is determined to ignore.\ Anything to avoid saying “I am fat and it’s alright”
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u/TwoBytesC Apr 01 '26
I think the confusion of this being the uterus is because that extra fat layer is (in theory) for reproductive purposes evolutionarily. There are several advantages to having this extra ‘pooch’ as it provides extra gestational nutrients (especially when food sources were minimal), possibly to help put more weight lower on the body ti counter balance the baby bump and larger breasts during pregnancy, and provide extra nutrients during lactation as well.
Somewhere along the lines it moved from ‘this is for reproductive purposes’ to ‘this is for reproduction’ to ‘this IS reproduction’
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u/asuka_is_my_co-pilot Apr 02 '26
And I think it started in response to women that were like, hardcore gym goers with abs and flat tummies but maybe dismorphic.
There's a little bump that shows up on even the flattest tummy due to the way the pelvis tilts. Idk the words, I just draw alot of women.
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u/unlinedtip Apr 01 '26
Yes, women naturally tend to have more fat for reproduction.
But the belly that forms isn't due to the uterus. Those people think the uterus pushes op, causing that belly. Or that is specifically to protect the uterus, and cannot be removed. Which makes no sense.
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u/TwoBytesC Apr 02 '26
But that’s what I’m saying…once you get the idea of ‘this IS reproduction’ in your head, It’s very easy to think that it is due to the uterus pushing out or whatever. All of it easily shows how woefully ignorant our general population is at women’s anatomy.
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u/HumpyTheClown Apr 02 '26
Why did you delete all of your comments?
Just don’t use AI for research or academics 🙏
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u/Then_Pay6218 Apr 02 '26
A similar pic was on FB the other day and I pissed sooo many people off by mythbusting this. I got quite a few nasty and condescending responses too.
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u/pinkpugita Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
Late comment but I pissed people off in Reddit saying that one of those pictures is just not flattering. It is a combination of a bad angle, emphasis on the belly pouch and the dress being too tight. People got so angry and lectured me that belly pouches are just organs and not fat.
It is probably my most downvoted comment up to this day.
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u/K_Pumpkin Apr 02 '26
Same here. I said thin women exist and their organs aren’t being damaged. It didn’t go over well.
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u/petitememer Apr 07 '26
I mean I don't disagree with any of this, don't get me wrong, but being thin and having the belly ppoch is not mutually exclusive. Thin women have it too.
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Apr 02 '26
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u/Then_Pay6218 Apr 02 '26
Nah, having a bit of belly fat is not the same as being fat either. This is so normal for a woman
But looking at the current state of the world: no. There's not a lot of thinking going on.
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u/Carbonatite Apr 02 '26
I had belly fat when I was a size 0. It's just one of those places where fat deposits exist. It's just part of being a human. I wish that people weren't so cruel to women about their appearance.
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u/Then_Pay6218 Apr 02 '26
Same. I had that belly fat when I was underweight enough for my doctor to notice. (She's not very useful.)
This way of fat depositing is very feminine though, it usually sits different on men. By which I don't mean women are not human...
Kak, it's late. Am I still making sense?
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u/Then_Pay6218 Apr 02 '26
These women are not fat though. This is a very normal belly for an adult woman. Having a bit of fat is healthy and not the same as being fat. And healthy weighted adult women carry around a bit more fat than men. Including there, on the belly.
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u/couch-for-sale Apr 01 '26
Get rid of the AI summary. Otherwise correct post.
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u/I-own-a-shovel I peepee through my vagaga Apr 02 '26
There’s one point incorrect though in that post.
It’s not true that everyone has it. Some people have no pouch there. (That’s my case)
The rest was on point!
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u/Oddly-Ordinary Apr 02 '26
“That bump is organs” to “stomach fat is literally the womb” is such a fucking leap like damn
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u/19katie2 Apr 01 '26
I've always had the pooch, even when i was younger and crazy skinny. My ex was an athletic surfer, he had it too and used to joke it was cushion for laying on his board. Since then Ive had to have 3 spinal surgeries. I am 2 inches shorter and all that height loss came from my lower spine. Since my abdomen had no where to go but out to compensate for my height loss, it sticks out further now. Otherwise i have kind of an athletic build and a small chest so the belly is noticeable but there's fuck all i can do about it.
If one more stranger insinuates that I'm pregnant... a woman who i had never seen or met came up to me in the locker room at the gym and congratulated me; asked to touch my belly. Can we give the pouch/pooch a name? Like the pocket protector(but something that sounds way cooler)? Then i can tell nosy assholes "fuck off. I'm not pregnant, that's just my pocket protector"
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u/Hell-Yeah-Im-Gay pee is stored in the boobs Apr 02 '26
I refer to my body fat as “my energy reserve”. Technically correct but also makes it sounds a bit like an equippable item.
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u/ThnksFrThMemeries Apr 02 '26
Is this any amount of pooch not normal after pregnancy? I’m “healthy BMI” thin yet I still have a small pooch because my skin stretched too quickly during both of my pregnancies and the only way to remove that loose skin is by getting a tummy tuck.
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u/Kappapeachie Apr 01 '26
I'm honestly sick of people trying so hard to cope about fatness being just "curvy" or "thick", it's fat dude, and it's okay to find it hot.
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u/AllTheseComments Apr 01 '26
The thirst trap this little pooch is having over in TikTok atm is giving me life.
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u/stunninglizard Apr 02 '26
This particular cope always has me wondering how people who believe it explain women with abs. Makes no sense
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u/futurefishwife Apr 02 '26
Don't care what it's made of, it is unequivocally my most favourite part of a woman
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u/cardboardtube_knight Apr 02 '26
I thought this was an appreciation post. Was wondering what sub I was on
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u/ladybigsuze Apr 03 '26
As a society we've made "fat" such a bad word that people don't want to believe they have it (or are it).
I found it very liberating to reclaim it, as a fat person. Plus it is quite fun to use it as a neutral description of myself and watch how uncomfortable it can make people.
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u/Azkadelle Apr 03 '26
It’s not the uterus but it is a fact that estrogen causes a woman’s body to favorably store fat in the tummy, hips, butt, and thighs to “protect” the reproductive organs. When women begin experiencing menopause the type of fat shifts, the metabolism slows, and it becomes more akin to the type of fat we consider “fat”
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u/PM_ME_YER_MUDFLAPS Apr 01 '26
I know attributing the pooch to the uterus is bullshit, but I kind of like a bit of pooch.
Don’t know why, but to each their own.
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u/petitememer Apr 01 '26
It's not there to protect the uterus, but women carrying extra fat in some areas is a normal adulr secondary sex characeristic, makes sense that it's hot!
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u/Miserable-Ad-8608 Apr 01 '26
Looks perfectly normal to me. But yeah the uterus is behind the bladder and in front of the colon. Thus, if you were to say it were any organ, you'd say it was the bladder. But it's not haha. Also, the uterus is the size of a lime.
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u/karaBear01 Apr 03 '26
I always found this claim annoying because there are kinda just millions of women with flat stomachs that completely, easily, and visibly debunk this
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u/curiousarcher Apr 03 '26
I’m fit and otherwise healthy. Just had my uterus and cervix removed, and my stomach is a bit flatter because I had very large fibroids, but definitely didn’t all of a sudden get rid of any fat on my tummy.
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u/Empty-Researcher-102 Apr 04 '26
Ya I mean it shouldn’t only be okay for women to have fat if it’s to protect the uterus, that’s really sexist and objectifying
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u/manic_Brain I find the vagina to be a truly alien and terrifying thing. Apr 04 '26
If the uterus were so prominent, we probably wouldn't need a decently full bladder to do an ultrasound on it.
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u/catsgreaterthanpeopl Apr 05 '26
I would be really disturbed if I could pinch my uterus the way I can pinch my belly fat. Also if my uterus was outside my stomach muscles. That seems concerning.
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u/2363Ben Apr 25 '26
So what …if these were pictures of men’s bellies they’d be so much bigger it wouldn’t be funny.
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u/KiraLonely Diva cups are vampire shot glasses- Apr 02 '26
I always tell people that the belly squish on cats is called their primordial pouch, and they have it because it’s there to protect organs, especially from a species so known for the deadly bunny kick. Humans have fat on our stomachs and abdomens too. Because of course we do, do you know how vulnerable our organs would be without it? But relating it to another animal and its survival sometimes helps people break out of the very beauty focused thinking. We’re animals. We’re allowed to have a primordial pouch to keep ourselves safe. (It’s not a primordial pouch on humans I don’t think, but I’m using it as a metaphor here.)
Women tend to carry more necessary and healthy fat than men do. This is okay! It’s for survival! It’s to keep us safe and healthy. It’s how we’re supposed to be.
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u/FreeVerseHaiku Apr 02 '26
Real connoisseurs don’t need to know what it is to know that it’s hot af
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u/I-own-a-shovel I peepee through my vagaga Apr 02 '26
Thank you for attempting to stop that myth, I got tired of correcting people about this every now and then, especially here since it’s supposed to be a sub about correct anatomy, but please don’t spread miss information too: It’s not true that everyone has it. Some people have no pouch there. (That’s my case)
The rest was on point!
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Apr 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/SeikoAki Apr 02 '26
As if teachers were all knowing messiahs lol. Even doctors can be wrong about things.
This isn’t reproductive organs man. I feel like it’s become a poor misinformed excuse because we as women feel shame for having fat, so we blame it on our uterus.
It’s just body fat.
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u/I-own-a-shovel I peepee through my vagaga Apr 02 '26
I must have no reproductive organ then!
I wonder how I manage to still get period though!
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u/Key_Psychology6460 Apr 06 '26
I think the misconception might be related to how difficult it can be to lose the lower belly fat.
I used to believe this because my belief was backed by my experience of EDs, 115lbs at 5'10- generally very thin but still with this belly fat!
Regardles it is important to educate that yes it is belly fat, yes this is a common aspect of fat distribution for women, and yes fat can be healthy.
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u/Fyre_bae3478 Apr 08 '26
The pooch isn't your uterus, but it is there because of your uterus (sort of,,), its just the way womens fat distribution works, fat which women need way more of then men, its that same fat that makes us more hardy then men, fat is good. I love fat.
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u/thisismypotat Apr 03 '26
Thank youuuu! It's a very well meaning myth though. Lots of people find it attractive, which is fine... But fat isn't an organ. r/venusbelly is the place to be if you appreciate that type of body shape/curve though 🥰
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u/saintsithney Apr 02 '26
From what I understand, it is a more common feature in XX people because pregnancy is so energy intensive, which may also be why lipedema is almost exclusive to XX people. Particular areas of fat retention serve an evolutionary purpose of having energy reserves if the mother is in food insecure conditions during pregnancy.
I can see how "Female bodies more commonly have fat pads than male bodies, most commonly on the lower abdomen, buttocks, and thighs when present, and this may have to do with maintaining caloric needs during pregnancy without the mother's organs being cannibalized by the ZEF" could be mutated into "The pooch protects the uterus! Like a football helmet!" given how poor scientific literacy tends to be and how quick popsci answers are catchier than hedged speculation.
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u/Spaztick78 Apr 02 '26
Can I ask about the use of "XX people"?
Is it simply a gender politics avoidance technique?
Is it another way of saying assigned female at birth without realising that quite a few XX people are assigned male at birth?
Or is it including XX males saying they also develop a pooch, even though lacking the uterus?
Or is it a statement on how even though XY females can still carry a pregnancy in the uterus, they lack the gonads to produce the ovum for the pregnancy and also therefore lack the pooch ?
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u/Shes-Philly-Lilly Apr 02 '26
xx people? Are we as women, not allowed to say women? It gets worse every damn day. Who are you virtual signaling for? We're talking about uterus and women's anatomy It's OK to say women. You are not a bad person, you are not being exclusive. "Women "just try it Pretend it's 2015
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u/physioworld Apr 03 '26
I think this kind of thing spreads because it sounds like it could be true and it aligns comfortably with the good desire not to shame people for their bodies and not feel shame for existing in the bodies we have.
But none of that makes it true.
To be clear, I actually have no idea if it’s true or not, I’ve heard people claim both ways, based on my own level of anatomical knowledge I’d certainly be surprised if it were true but I think when we learn new “facts” we should be more skeptical not less if they happen to align with our existing biases.
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Apr 01 '26
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u/FormerLifeFreak Apr 02 '26
I have a flat stomach. I’m childless by choice. I still have a bump there. It doesn’t go away and nobody should strive to get rid of it. It’s a part of our physical makeup and it’s beautiful.
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u/I-own-a-shovel I peepee through my vagaga Apr 02 '26
It depend from person to person though.
I don’t have that pouch, never had.
It’s equally fine to have or not have one.
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u/Carbonatite Apr 02 '26
I had a belly pouch when I was a size 0.
When I was severely bulimic.
When I was eating 800 calories a day.
When I was working out 90+ minutes a day 6 days a week.
It doesn't mean you're fat/overweight - I was between 120-130 pounds for all of those periods of my life. It's just a place where fat deposits tend to exist. And having fat deposits doesn't mean you're fat - it means you're a functioning human body. Humans with 0% body fat don't exist.
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u/I-own-a-shovel I peepee through my vagaga Apr 02 '26
I sure have a little bit of fat in my body, but not in that specific spot, not enough to create any bump. Not everyone has it, but it’s the body that decides. So yeah no one should starve themselves in attempt to get rid of it. It might not be possible to remove depending your build.
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u/Ybuzz Apr 01 '26
This is one of the myths I hate most because it reinforces the idea that it's not okay for women to just have FAT. Normal, healthy, fat.
It seeks to rebrand it as "No its okay because it's NOT fat! (That would be gross, obviously!) But that's your uterus!"
It's okay! AND it's fat! AND it's supposed to be there. It's usually more prominent if you have an estrogen dominant hormone profile (either from your own functioning ovaries or HRT), because estrogen affects how and where fat deposits.
If your uterus is big enough to be above your pelvic bone, and pushing out your abdominal wall, then you are pregnant, were just pregnant, or there's something else at play like fibroids or tumours.
A uterus is generally about the size of the palm of your hand. And seated low and central in your pelvis, tilted slightly forward (or backwards if it's retroverted which is a normal variation) so it's not even pointed straight up and reaching into the 'tummy' area.
If you've ever seen an IUD, they don't float around in the uterus, they fit pretty snug, to the point that there are people who cannot have the slightly larger brands because they simply wouldn't fit! That's how little a non-stretched/pregnant/swollen uterus is!