Squirting is the release of fluid through the urethra during sexual arousal or orgasm. The fluid is primarily dilute urine from the bladder, often mixed with small amounts of secretions from glands near the urethra. About 40% of adult women in the U.S. report having experienced it at least once, though regular squirting is far less common, with an estimated prevalence around 5%.
What the Fluid Actually Contains
A 2015 study using ultrasound imaging and biochemical testing analyzed squirting fluid from seven women. The researchers compared three samples from each participant: urine collected before arousal, the squirting fluid itself, and urine collected afterward. The squirting fluid contained urea, creatinine, and uric acid at concentrations comparable to the urine samples, confirming that most of the fluid originates in the bladder.
But the fluid isn’t purely urine. In five of the seven women, the squirting fluid also contained PSA (prostate-specific antigen), a protein that was absent from the urine collected before arousal. PSA is produced by the Skene’s glands, two small ducts located on either side of the urethral opening. These glands are sometimes called the “female prostate” because they produce proteins similar to those found in male prostate secretions. So while the bulk of the fluid comes from the bladder, there’s typically a contribution from these glands mixed in.
Squirting vs. Female Ejaculation
Researchers now treat squirting and female ejaculation as two related but distinct events that sometimes happen simultaneously. Squirting involves a larger volume of fluid, typically 10 milliliters or more, that is clear and watery. It comes from the bladder and exits through the urethra in a gush or spray.
Female ejaculation, by contrast, produces a much smaller amount of thick, milky or whitish fluid. This fluid comes from the Skene’s glands and contains high concentrations of PSA. In practice, the two can occur at the same time, which is why squirting fluid often tests positive for both bladder contents and glandular secretions. Many people use the terms interchangeably, but the biological sources are different.
How It Happens Physically
The 2015 ultrasound study showed something revealing about the mechanism. Each participant emptied her bladder before the session began, and an ultrasound confirmed the bladder was empty. During sexual stimulation, the bladder refilled noticeably, sometimes rapidly. After squirting, the ultrasound showed the bladder had emptied again. This cycle of rapid filling and involuntary release is what produces the volume of fluid associated with squirting.
The Skene’s glands also respond to arousal. The tissue surrounding them swells during sexual stimulation, and they secrete fluid that can mix with whatever exits the urethra. The amount varies from person to person, partly because the Skene’s glands themselves vary in size. Some women have well-developed glands, while in others they’re very small or difficult to detect.
Volume and Appearance
The amount of fluid can range from barely noticeable to over 100 milliliters. In a U.S. survey of adult women who had squirted, the median lifetime frequency was three to five times, suggesting that for most women it’s an occasional event rather than something that happens every time they have sex or reach orgasm.
The fluid itself is usually clear or very slightly tinted and more dilute than regular urine. It tends to be less concentrated in waste products because the bladder fills quickly during arousal rather than accumulating over hours the way it normally does. When Skene’s gland secretions are present in greater amounts, the fluid may appear slightly milky or have a different consistency.
Why There’s So Much Confusion
Squirting has been described in medical literature for centuries, but rigorous research on it is surprisingly scarce. The 2015 study that provided the clearest biochemical analysis involved only seven participants. Larger studies have surveyed women’s experiences but haven’t replicated the imaging and lab work at scale.
Pornography has also shaped public perception, often presenting squirting as something that happens in large volumes during every sexual encounter. This creates unrealistic expectations. The reality is more varied: some women squirt occasionally, some never do, and the volume when it does happen is usually modest. It can occur before, during, or after orgasm, and it’s involuntary. It isn’t something a person can reliably control or force, and not experiencing it is completely normal.
The takeaway from current research is straightforward. Squirting is mostly rapid-filling bladder fluid released involuntarily during arousal, frequently mixed with small amounts of prostatic secretions from the Skene’s glands. It’s a normal physiological response that some women experience and others don’t, with no bearing on sexual health or function either way.