About 40% of women have squirted at least once in their lifetime, based on the first nationally representative U.S. study on the topic. That figure comes from a probability sample of over 2,000 women ages 18 to 93, published in 2024. Among those who had experienced it, the median frequency was three to five times total, meaning most had done so only occasionally rather than regularly.
What the Research Actually Shows
For years, squirting was characterized in medical literature as extremely rare. Older estimates placed the prevalence anywhere from 10% to 54%, depending on the study and how participants were recruited. More recent, larger-scale research has landed consistently around 40%. A North American convenience sample found 40%. An Egyptian study also landed at 40%. A U.S. convenience sample came in higher at 54%.
A 2024 Swedish cross-sectional study found that 58% of participants had experienced ejaculation or squirting at some point, with significantly higher rates among non-heterosexual women. A study of Colombian women reported an even higher figure of 69%. These differences likely reflect variations in how questions were worded, how the experience was defined, and the cultural willingness of participants to report it. The takeaway across all of these studies: squirting is far more common than the medical community once assumed, though it’s not something every woman experiences.
Squirting and Ejaculation Are Two Different Things
Researchers now distinguish between two separate phenomena that often get lumped together. Female ejaculation refers to a small amount of thick, milky white fluid released at orgasm. Squirting refers to a much larger volume of dilute fluid, sometimes comparable to a glass of water, expelled from the urethra during or just before climax.
The milky ejaculate originates from the Skene’s glands, two small structures located on either side of the urethral opening. These glands, sometimes called the female prostate, swell during arousal and secrete fluid containing proteins also found in male semen, including prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Biochemical analysis of this fluid shows a composition distinctly different from urine, with high levels of PSA and prostatic acid phosphatase that aren’t present in pre-orgasm urine samples.
Squirting fluid, on the other hand, is mostly diluted urine mixed with some of those same prostatic secretions. A French study using ultrasound imaging on seven women who reported large-volume squirting confirmed that the bladder fills rapidly during arousal and empties during the expulsion. This doesn’t mean squirting is “just peeing.” The fluid contains prostatic compounds that urine alone does not, and the experience is triggered by arousal and orgasm rather than a full bladder.
Why Some Women Experience It and Others Don’t
The size and development of the Skene’s glands varies significantly from person to person. In some women, these glands are well-developed and have larger ducts. In others, they’re minimal or nearly absent. This anatomical variation is the most likely explanation for why some women squirt easily, others do so rarely, and many never do. The gland openings are so small they’re nearly impossible to see with the naked eye, which is part of why this anatomy was overlooked for so long in medical research.
The type of stimulation matters too, though the science here is less settled. Many women who squirt report that it happens during internal vaginal stimulation, particularly along the front vaginal wall where the Skene’s glands and surrounding erectile tissue sit. That said, rigorous controlled studies on exactly which stimulation reliably produces squirting are scarce. The evidence for a distinct, anatomically defined “G-spot” remains weak, with researchers noting that anecdotal reports far outpace what has been confirmed through anatomical studies. What does seem clear is that the general area of the front vaginal wall, where the urethra and Skene’s glands are located, is more sensitive in some women than others.
Pelvic floor muscle engagement also plays a role. Some women describe learning to squirt over time by bearing down with their pelvic muscles during high arousal, rather than tensing up. The U.S. probability study noted that women used various “strategies” and that many described squirting as something they discovered at a particular point in their lives rather than something that had always happened.
What the Numbers Mean in Practical Terms
If roughly 4 in 10 women have squirted at least once, that still means the majority have not. And among those who have, most report it happening only a handful of times. It’s not a reliable indicator of arousal, orgasm quality, or sexual satisfaction. Women who squirt are not more aroused or having better orgasms than women who don’t. The experience is simply a physiological response that some bodies produce and others don’t, largely based on glandular anatomy that varies as naturally as any other body part.
Pornography has dramatically overrepresented squirting and often portrays it as something that happens with every orgasm or as a goal to achieve. The research tells a different story: even among women who can and do squirt, it’s typically occasional and unpredictable. Treating it as a benchmark creates unnecessary pressure for both partners. The fluid volume, timing, and frequency vary enormously from person to person and even from one encounter to the next for the same person.