Female ejaculation is a real physiological event in which fluid is expelled from the urethra during sexual arousal or orgasm. What many people don’t realize is that researchers now recognize two distinct phenomena often lumped together under the same label: a small-volume secretion from glands near the urethra, and a larger-volume gush originating from the bladder. The two fluids have different compositions, come from different structures, and happen through different mechanisms, though they can occur at the same time. Understanding the difference clears up a lot of confusion.
Two Phenomena, Not One
The biggest source of misunderstanding is that “female ejaculation” and “squirting” are treated as synonyms when they are, physiologically, separate events. A 2022 narrative review in Clinical Anatomy lays this out clearly: squirting involves about ten milliliters or more of transparent fluid expelled from the bladder through the urethra, while female ejaculation proper is a much smaller secretion, just a few milliliters of thicker, milkier fluid, produced by the paraurethral glands (also called Skene’s glands or the female prostate).1PubMed. Female ejaculation and squirting as similar but completely different phenomena: A narrative review of current research Both can happen during the same sexual experience, which is part of why they’ve been conflated for so long.
The fluid in squirting is chemically similar to very dilute urine. It contains urea, creatinine, and uric acid at concentrations you’d expect from the bladder.2PubMed. Differential diagnostics of female “sexual” fluids: a narrative review The fluid from true ejaculation, by contrast, resembles components of male seminal fluid (without sperm). It is rich in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase, and has lower creatinine than urine.3PubMed. Does female ejaculation serve an antimicrobial purpose? One case study that measured both fluids from the same person confirmed this split: the large-volume fluid had the chemical profile of diluted urine, while the small-volume secretion contained PSA levels comparable to some components of male semen.4The Journal of Sexual Medicine. New Insights from One Case of Female Ejaculation
Where the Fluid Comes From
The small, milky ejaculate originates in the paraurethral glands, a set of tiny glands embedded in the tissue surrounding the urethra. These glands have been formally recognized as the “female prostate” because, under a microscope, their cell structure mirrors the male prostate. Electron microscopy shows that these glands contain tall secretory cells with active features like secretory granules, well-developed Golgi complexes, and both apocrine and merocrine secretion, the same cellular machinery that drives secretion in the male prostate.5PubMed. Ultrastructure of the normal adult human female prostate gland (Skene’s gland) The tissue also tests positive for prostate-specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase, the same markers used to identify prostate tissue in men.6PubMed. Prostatic-type tissue in the lower female genital tract
Squirting fluid, on the other hand, comes from the bladder. An imaging study using ultrasound before, during, and after squirting confirmed this directly: the bladder was empty at the start of arousal, visibly filled during sexual stimulation, and was empty again immediately after squirting occurred.7The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Nature and Origin of “Squirting” in Female Sexuality Interestingly, though, PSA was detected in the squirting fluid of five out of seven participants even though it was absent from their urine samples taken before arousal. This suggests that even during squirting, some secretion from the paraurethral glands mixes with the bladder fluid on the way out.8PubMed. Nature and origin of “squirting” in female sexuality
That mixing is a key detail. It means the fluid you actually see during a squirting event is often a cocktail of both sources, which is one reason it took researchers so long to untangle the two phenomena. A perineal ultrasound study also confirmed that the ejaculate fluid had biochemical parameters matching prostate plasma rather than urine, further reinforcing the role of the paraurethral glands in the smaller-volume secretion.9PubMed. The female prostate revisited: perineal ultrasound and biochemical studies of female ejaculate
How Common Is It
Estimates vary depending on how the question is asked and which phenomenon is being measured. A U.S. probability sample of women aged 18 to 93 found that about 40% had squirted at least once in their lifetime, with a median frequency of three to five times total.10PubMed. Vaginal Squirting: Experiences, Discoveries, and Strategies in a U.S. Probability Sample of Women Ages 18-93 A Swedish cross-sectional study reported higher numbers: 58% of women said they had experienced ejaculation or squirting, while 6% were unsure. Among those who hadn’t experienced it, about 29% wished to, and another 37% said “maybe.”11PubMed Central. Women’s experiences of female ejaculation and/or squirting: a Swedish cross-sectional study
The Swedish study also found that women with non-heterosexual orientations were more likely to have experienced ejaculation or squirting than heterosexual women (about 63% compared to 52%).11PubMed Central. Women’s experiences of female ejaculation and/or squirting: a Swedish cross-sectional study Whether that reflects differences in sexual practices, communication, comfort with exploration, or something else entirely is unclear. These numbers are based on self-report, and one systematic review has cautioned that the seemingly high prevalence of ejaculation in surveys relies heavily on subjective questionnaire data; objective laboratory evidence of true female ejaculation (the small-volume prostatic secretion) has only been documented in a limited number of cases.12PubMed. Female ejaculation orgasm vs. coital incontinence: a systematic review
The Role of the Anterior Vaginal Wall
Discussion of female ejaculation almost always leads to the question of the G-spot, the area on the front wall of the vagina that many people associate with intense stimulation and fluid release. The science here is genuinely unsettled. A 2021 systematic review concluded that while studies consistently acknowledged the existence of a sensitive zone in that area, there was no agreement on its exact location, size, or nature, and its existence as a distinct anatomical structure remains unproven.13PubMed Central. G-spot: Fact or Fiction?: A Systematic Review A dissection study found no macroscopic structure in the anterior vaginal wall other than the urethra itself, with no apparent erectile or spongy tissue except where the urethra meets the clitoris.14The Journal of Sexual Medicine. The “G-Spot” Is Not a Structure Evident on Macroscopic Anatomic Dissection of the Vaginal Wall
What this likely means is that stimulation of the front vaginal wall feels different because you’re indirectly pressing on the urethra, the paraurethral glands, and the internal portions of the clitoris, all of which sit just behind that wall. There may not be a single “button” so much as a neighborhood of sensitive structures packed closely together. Stimulating this area can trigger paraurethral gland secretion (true ejaculation) and, in some people, the bladder-filling reflex that leads to squirting.
Is It Just Peeing?
This is the question people are most nervous about, and the honest answer is nuanced. For squirting specifically, the fluid does come from the bladder and does contain urea and creatinine, so calling it a “form of dilute urine” is biochemically accurate. But it’s not the same as involuntary urination. Researchers have worked to distinguish both ejaculation and squirting from coital incontinence, which is an actual medical condition involving involuntary urine loss during sex caused by urethral or bladder dysfunction.
A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis found that women who only experienced physiological fluid expulsion (ejaculation or squirting) showed no signs of stress urinary incontinence or detrusor overactivity on urodynamic testing. Women with coital incontinence did show those abnormalities. The women with physiological responses also reported high arousal and satisfaction, while those with coital incontinence described the fluid loss as involuntary and distressing, feeling identical to urination.15The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Female Ejaculation, Squirting, and Coital Incontinence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Biochemical, Imaging, and Urodynamic Diagnostic Criteria In other words, the subjective experience and the underlying mechanics are different even when the chemical profile of the fluid overlaps. Ejaculation and squirting are physiological responses that don’t need treatment; coital incontinence is a clinical issue that does.
If you’re experiencing fluid release during sex and it feels pleasurable or at least neutral, there’s no medical reason for concern. If it feels distressing and involuntary, or if you’re also leaking urine during non-sexual activities like coughing or exercising, that’s worth discussing with a doctor.
What Happens in the Brain and Nervous System
A brain-imaging study found that during orgasm, a specific area in the brainstem activates: a region the researchers called the “pelvic organ-stimulating center,” located in the dorsolateral pontine tegmentum. This region activates during ejaculation in men and during physical orgasm in women, and it controls pelvic organs through connections to sacral parasympathetic neurons. The same general area also activates during urination, though on the opposite side of the brainstem. Meanwhile, a separate region, the “pelvic floor-stimulating center,” drives the rhythmic pelvic floor contractions that accompany orgasm via direct projections to pelvic floor motor neurons.16PubMed. Pontine control of ejaculation and female orgasm
This overlap in brain circuitry between orgasm and urination may explain why squirting involves the bladder at all. The neural pathways that trigger orgasmic release and those that control bladder emptying are neighbors, and the signals can bleed into each other during peak arousal. It’s also worth noting that in an electrophysiology study, orgasm itself was accompanied by intermittent muscle activity in the pelvic floor but was not always accompanied by visible fluid release, meaning orgasm and ejaculation are linked but not identical events.17PubMed. An electrophysiologic study of female ejaculation
How People Feel About It
The emotional experience of ejaculation and squirting varies enormously from person to person. A qualitative study of Swedish women found descriptions ranging from considering it “amazing, a superpower, and a feminist statement” to describing it as unpleasant or shameful. Across these very different reactions, one theme came through consistently: women wanted nuanced, accurate information and wanted the taboo and mystification around the subject to end.18Sexualities. A sexual superpower or a shame? Women’s diverging experiences of squirting/female ejaculation in Sweden
An international online survey of women who experienced ejaculation found that about 79% of them and 90% of their partners considered it an enrichment of their sexual lives. A small fraction, about 4%, said their partners were unaware it even happened.19PubMed. International online survey: female ejaculation has a positive impact on women’s and their partners’ sexual lives The fact that some people experience shame while others feel empowered speaks to how much cultural messaging shapes the experience. Pornography, which tends to dramatize squirting, creates unrealistic expectations on all sides, both for people who then feel pressured to perform and for people who worry something is wrong with them when it happens spontaneously.
The Imaging Side
MRI has been used to visualize the paraurethral glands in living patients. In one study, the glands were visible on MRI scans in six of seven participants, confirming that these structures can be identified with modern imaging.20The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Female Prostate Pathology More recently, a case report described a periurethral lesion caused by what the authors termed “female prostatic occlusive syndrome,” where an enlarged paraurethral structure narrowed the urethra and produced distinctive MRI findings that could help differentiate it from other conditions.21PubMed Central. Female prostatic occlusive syndrome: A case report of MRI analysis and literature review These imaging advances matter because they demonstrate that the female prostate isn’t a vestigial curiosity. It’s a functional gland that can enlarge, develop pathology, and influence urinary function, much like its male counterpart.
Hormonal Influences on the Female Prostate
Because the paraurethral glands share cell types and markers with the male prostate, they respond to hormones in similar ways. Animal studies in gerbils (whose paraurethral glands are commonly used as a model for human Skene’s glands) have shown that exposure to certain compounds affects the expression of androgen and estrogen receptors in the female prostate. One study found that early-life exposure to the flavonoid chrysin led to increased androgen receptor and estrogen receptor alpha expression in the paraurethral glands at puberty and into adulthood.22PubMed. Prepubertal chrysin exposure upregulates either AR in male ventral prostate or AR and ERα in Skene’s paraurethral gland of pubertal and adult gerbils Another study in the same animal model found that combined oral contraceptives caused glandular overgrowth, increased cell proliferation, and elevated hormone receptor activity in the female prostate, with the combined treatment producing more adverse effects including abnormal cell changes.23PubMed. Combined oral contraceptives promote androgen receptor and oestrogen receptor alpha upregulation in the female prostate (Skene’s paraurethral glands) of adult gerbils
These are animal studies, and translating them directly to humans requires caution. But they establish that the female prostate is hormone-sensitive tissue that can change in response to hormonal shifts, which could theoretically influence ejaculatory function across the lifespan or with hormonal contraceptive use. This is an area where the research is still early and human studies are needed.
A Very Old Discovery
Female ejaculation is not a modern discovery. A historical review found that it was described in Chinese Taoist texts starting in the fourth century, and that ancient Indian writings also treated it as an established phenomenon independent of reproduction. In the Western tradition, Aristotle described the emission of female fluid around 300 B.C., and Galen discussed it in the second century. The Dutch physician Reinjier De Graaf provided the first scientific description in the seventeenth century and was the first to refer to the periurethral glands as the female prostate.24PubMed. The history of female ejaculation The concept was then largely sidelined in Western medicine until Ernst Gräfenberg published his 1952 paper on the role of the urethra in female orgasm, reigniting interest.25PubMed. Female ejaculation: An update on anatomy, history, and controversies
The fact that multiple cultures across thousands of years documented this phenomenon makes the modern confusion around it a bit ironic. Much of the skepticism in twentieth-century Western medicine stemmed from a broader reluctance to study female sexual physiology with the same rigor applied to male sexuality. The research gap is closing, but slowly.
An Evolutionary Hypothesis
Why would any of this exist in the first place? One hypothesis proposes that female ejaculatory fluids may have evolved to support reproduction by raising the pH of the vaginal environment. The vagina is normally acidic (a pH around 2 to 5), which is hostile to sperm. The ejaculate could help neutralize that acidity toward a pH closer to 7, where sperm function better, and may also release substances that assist sperm in reaching the egg.26Medical Hypotheses. Female ejaculation enhances reproductive success A separate hypothesis has suggested an antimicrobial function, noting that the fluid’s composition includes components that could help protect the urinary tract after intercourse.3PubMed. Does female ejaculation serve an antimicrobial purpose? Both ideas remain speculative. The honest answer is that nobody has definitively established the evolutionary purpose of either fluid, and it’s possible there isn’t a single tidy explanation.