Squirting is the expulsion of fluid through the urethra during sexual arousal or orgasm. About 40% of adult women in the U.S. report having experienced it at least once, and the mechanism involves a combination of bladder activity and glandular secretion that researchers have only recently started to untangle.
Two Types of Fluid Are Involved
What most people call “squirting” is actually two separate processes that can happen at the same time. Understanding this distinction is key to understanding what’s really going on in the body.
The first is true female ejaculation: a small amount of thick, milky fluid produced by the Skene’s glands, two tiny glands located on either side of the urethral opening. These glands develop from the same embryonic tissue that becomes the prostate in males, which is why they’re sometimes called the “female prostate.” The fluid they produce contains proteins similar to those found in male prostatic fluid, including prostate-specific antigen (PSA). This ejaculate is typically just a few milliliters, sometimes so small it goes unnoticed.
The second is squirting in the colloquial sense: a much larger volume of clear, watery fluid released from the bladder through the urethra. This fluid is chemically similar to very dilute urine, containing urea and creatinine, but it’s not simply peeing. It’s an involuntary release that occurs specifically in the context of sexual arousal and appears to involve a distinct physiological trigger.
What Happens Inside the Body
A 2015 ultrasound study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine tracked what happens in the bladder before, during, and after squirting. Participants emptied their bladders completely before beginning sexual stimulation, confirmed by ultrasound. As arousal built, the bladder rapidly refilled, sometimes within minutes. After squirting occurred, ultrasound showed the bladder had emptied again. This rapid filling during arousal is unusual and suggests the kidneys accelerate urine production in response to sexual stimulation, though exactly why this happens isn’t well understood.
The Skene’s glands play their own role simultaneously. During arousal, increased blood flow to the genital area causes the tissue surrounding these glands to swell. This engorgement primes the glands to release their secretion, which can mix with the larger volume of bladder fluid during squirting. In the ultrasound study, PSA from the Skene’s glands was detected in the squirted fluid of five out of seven participants, even though it wasn’t present in their urine samples taken before stimulation. So the fluid that comes out is a blend: mostly from the bladder, with a contribution from the Skene’s glands.
The Role of the Anterior Vaginal Wall
Squirting is most commonly associated with stimulation of the anterior (front) vaginal wall, the area popularly known as the G-spot. This region sits directly over the Skene’s glands and the urethra, which is why pressure there can trigger both glandular secretion and the urethral release of fluid. The anatomical relationship is straightforward: you’re stimulating the tissue that sits right on top of the structures producing the fluid.
Whether the G-spot exists as a distinct anatomical structure remains debated among researchers. What isn’t debated is that the front wall of the vagina is rich in nerve endings and sits against the urethral sponge, a cushion of erectile tissue that engorges during arousal. Firm, rhythmic pressure on this area is what most women who squirt describe as the trigger.
How Common It Is and What It Feels Like
A U.S. probability survey of women ages 18 to 93 found that 40% had squirted at least once in their lifetime, with a median frequency of three to five times total. About 60% of those who had experienced it described it as very or somewhat pleasurable. Only 20% said squirting always coincided with orgasm, meaning it can happen independently of climax.
The volume varies considerably. In an international survey, the most common self-reported amount was approximately 2 ounces (about 60 milliliters), and 83% of respondents described the fluid as clear like water. Some women produce much more, others much less. The Skene’s glands themselves vary in size from person to person, which likely contributes to individual differences in both the volume and composition of the fluid.
Squirting vs. Urinary Incontinence
Because squirting involves fluid from the bladder passing through the urethra, it’s natural to wonder whether it’s the same as leaking urine during sex. It isn’t, though the two can look similar from the outside. Coital incontinence is a medical condition caused by bladder dysfunction, specifically problems with the urethral sphincter or involuntary bladder contractions. It tends to happen with physical pressure (like during penetration) regardless of arousal level, and it’s associated with other symptoms of bladder control issues.
Squirting, by contrast, is tied specifically to high arousal or orgasm, occurs in women with normal bladder function, and involves the rapid bladder-filling mechanism seen in the ultrasound studies. If you experience fluid release only during moments of intense arousal or orgasm, and you don’t have bladder control issues at other times, what you’re experiencing is squirting rather than incontinence.