Understanding What Is the Squat Toilet Position for a Female

October 2, 2025 •

4 min read

Globally, squatting is the natural and most common defecation posture, used by a majority of the world's population for centuries. This ideal body alignment, known as the squat toilet position for a female, is gaining recognition for its significant benefits to digestive health and overall well-being.

Quick Summary

The squat position for females is a biomechanically superior posture that straightens the anorectal angle, relaxes the puborectalis muscle, and facilitates easier and more complete bowel evacuation.

Key Points

Achieve Optimal Alignment: The squat position straightens the anorectal angle, allowing for a more direct and efficient path for waste to exit the body, unlike the kinking that occurs when sitting.
Relax the Pelvic Floor: Squatting naturally relaxes the puborectalis muscle, a key muscle for bowel control, ensuring it doesn't obstruct elimination.
Reduce Straining: By facilitating smoother bowel movements, squatting helps reduce the excessive pushing and straining that can lead to hemorrhoids and other pelvic floor issues.
Improve Bladder Emptying: For women, squatting or leaning forward fully relaxes the pelvic floor during urination, which helps ensure complete bladder emptying and lowers the risk of UTIs.
Protect Pelvic Health: Consistent use of the squatting posture can help protect the pelvic floor muscles from the strain that can cause conditions like prolapse or incontinence over time.
Utilize a Footstool for Assistance: For those using a western toilet, a small footstool can effectively elevate the knees and mimic the natural squat position, providing most of its benefits without requiring full flexibility.

The Anatomy of the Squatting Position

When using a modern seated toilet, the human body is positioned at a 90-degree angle at the hips. This posture keeps the puborectalis muscle—a sling-like muscle that wraps around the rectum—partially engaged to maintain continence. This creates a bend in the rectum, making it harder to pass stool without straining. The squatting position, however, mimics the ancient and natural human posture for elimination, creating a more advantageous 35-degree angle.

For a female, this position naturally relaxes the puborectalis muscle and straightens the anorectal angle, allowing for a clearer, more direct path for waste to exit the body. By positioning the knees above the hips, gravity assists the process, making bowel movements faster, more efficient, and requiring less effort.

How to Achieve the Squat Position on a Western Toilet

For those accustomed to a seated toilet, achieving a full squat can be difficult. A simple footstool, like a "Squatty Potty," is an effective and common solution to simulate the squatting position.

Sit and position: Start by sitting comfortably on the toilet seat.
Elevate your feet: Place your feet flat on the footstool, which raises your knees above your hips. Feet should be a comfortable distance apart.
Lean forward: Lean your torso forward, resting your elbows on your knees for support and to increase the angle between your legs and torso. Keep your spine straight.
Relax and breathe: Relax your pelvic floor and belly muscles and avoid straining. Use slow, deep breaths to help the process.

Using a Traditional Squat Toilet

In many parts of the world, floor-level squat toilets are the norm. For a female, using one involves a specific technique to maintain balance and hygiene.

Positioning: Stand over the toilet, facing the hood or flushing handle, and straddle the bowl with your feet on either side.
Clothing: Roll your pant legs up to your knees or hold up a skirt or dress to prevent contamination.
Squatting: Lower your body into a full, deep squat, keeping your feet flat on the floor if possible. Place your hands on your knees or hold onto a grab bar for balance.
Aiming: Lean forward to align your body directly over the hole. Practice and familiarity improve aim.

Health Benefits of the Squatting Position

The advantages of adopting the squat position for elimination extend beyond just convenience. Research indicates several positive health outcomes associated with this posture.

Reduced Straining and Constipation

Chronic straining, a common side effect of sitting on a western toilet, is a major contributor to health issues such as hemorrhoids and anal fissures. The squatting position, by naturally straightening the rectum and relaxing the pelvic floor, eliminates the need for excessive pushing, leading to faster and easier bowel movements. A 2019 study showed that participants using a footstool experienced less straining and more complete bowel movements.

Support for Pelvic Floor Health

For women, maintaining pelvic floor health is crucial. The squatting position allows the pelvic floor muscles to fully relax and lengthen, reducing pressure that can lead to dysfunction. Chronic straining can weaken these muscles over time, potentially contributing to conditions like pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence. By promoting relaxed and efficient elimination, squatting helps protect and strengthen the pelvic floor.

Better Bladder Emptying

Just as it helps with bowel movements, squatting can also improve bladder emptying. For urination, hovering over a toilet seat—a common practice among women concerned with hygiene—causes the pelvic floor muscles to tense up. This can prevent the bladder from fully emptying, increasing the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs). By sitting fully and leaning forward, or by using a squatting position, the pelvic floor can relax, allowing for complete bladder evacuation.

Considerations and Precautions for the Squatting Position

While largely beneficial, some individuals may find the squatting position challenging due to a lack of flexibility, mobility issues, or medical conditions. Those who have had or are planning hip replacements should consult a physical therapist for modified techniques. For women, ensuring proper hygiene when using public squat toilets is also a key consideration.

Comparison: Squatting vs. Sitting for Elimination


Feature	Squatting Position	Sitting Position (Western Toilet)
Anorectal Angle	Straightens the anorectal angle, promoting easy passage.	Creates a bend in the rectum, requiring straining for evacuation.
Puborectalis Muscle	Naturally relaxes the muscle, allowing for full emptying.	Keeps the muscle partially contracted, inhibiting full release.
Straining	Minimizes or eliminates the need for straining.	Often necessitates straining, which can lead to complications.
Time	Leads to faster, more efficient bowel movements.	Takes longer and can require more effort.
Pelvic Floor	Promotes proper relaxation and support.	Can cause unnecessary pressure and weaken muscles over time.
Accessibility	Requires strength and flexibility for a full deep squat, or a footstool for assistance.	Accessible to a wider range of people, though not anatomically ideal.

Conclusion: Making an Informed Choice for Your Health

By understanding what is the squat toilet position for a female, women can take a simple, yet powerful step toward better digestive and pelvic health. The traditional squat offers a natural, more efficient way to eliminate waste, reducing the risks associated with chronic straining. For those not able to perform a full squat, using a footstool to elevate the knees is a highly effective alternative that provides many of the same benefits. As with any health-related practice, paying attention to your body and consulting with a healthcare provider, particularly a pelvic health physical therapist, can ensure you adopt the best and safest approach for your individual needs. By returning to a more natural posture, you can improve your bathroom experience and promote long-term wellness.

Visit the Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy for more information on proper toileting posture

Frequently Asked Questions

For a floor-level toilet, a female should straddle the bowl with feet on either side, facing the hood. Roll up pants and squat deeply, keeping feet flat if possible. Leaning forward slightly helps with balance and aiming.

You can use a toilet footstool, like a "Squatty Potty," to elevate your feet. This raises your knees above your hips, simulating the squat position while you remain seated on the toilet.

Hovering is not recommended because it tenses the pelvic floor muscles, preventing the bladder from emptying completely. Over time, this can contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction and increase the risk of urinary tract infections.

The key benefits include reduced straining, faster and more complete bowel evacuation, and a reduced risk of issues like hemorrhoids. It works by straightening the rectal angle and relaxing the puborectalis muscle.

Yes, using a footstool to elevate your knees can significantly improve constipation. It places the body in a more natural position for elimination, reducing the need to strain and promoting more efficient and complete bowel movements.

Yes, the squatting position can be particularly helpful during pregnancy. It can ease constipation, a common issue during this time, by reducing pressure on the bowels. It also supports the pelvic floor and can assist during labor and delivery.

For most people, the squat position is safe and beneficial. However, individuals with limited mobility, skeletal or muscular diseases, or those recovering from hip surgery should exercise caution and consult a healthcare provider. Excessive straining, even in the squat position, should be avoided.

Always carry your own toilet paper and hand sanitizer. It's best to take your pants completely off or roll them well above the knees. Be aware that most squat toilets require used paper to be disposed of in a bin, not flushed.