Squirting is the release of fluid from the urethra during sexual arousal or orgasm. It’s a normal physiological response that an estimated 20 to 40 percent of women experience at some point, though it can vary widely in volume, frequency, and the circumstances that trigger it. Despite decades of debate in the medical community, recent research has clarified much of what’s happening in the body when this occurs.
Where the Fluid Comes From
The fluid released during squirting exits through the urethra, but it isn’t simply urine. Two small structures called the Skene’s glands sit on either side of the urethral opening. These glands swell during sexual arousal in response to increased blood flow, and they secrete a milky fluid that contains proteins also found in male semen, specifically prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Because of this similarity, researchers sometimes refer to the Skene’s glands as the “female prostate.”
Ultrasound studies have added another piece to the puzzle. When researchers watched the bladder during sexual stimulation, they found it was empty beforehand but rapidly filled with fluid just before squirting occurred. The expelled fluid does contain urea and creatinine at concentrations similar to urine, but in most participants it also contains PSA from the Skene’s glands, something not present in regular urine samples taken before arousal. So the current understanding is that squirting involves a mix: dilute fluid from the bladder combined with secretions from the Skene’s glands.
The Skene’s glands vary in size from person to person. Some women have larger, more developed glands, while in others they’re barely detectable. This anatomical variation likely explains why some women squirt easily, others rarely, and some never do.
What Triggers It
Squirting is most commonly associated with stimulation of the G-spot, the sensitive area on the front wall of the vagina, roughly two inches inside. Clitoral stimulation can also trigger it, and some women experience it from a combination of both. Importantly, squirting can happen with or without orgasm. They often coincide, but they’re separate responses.
Several factors influence whether squirting happens. Pelvic floor muscle strength appears to play a role, with some experts suggesting that stronger pelvic floor muscles make the response more likely. Nerve sensitivity in the area matters too, and individual arousal levels seem to affect the threshold. Many women who experience squirting report that it happens during particularly intense arousal or stimulation, and some describe feeling a sensation similar to needing to urinate just before it occurs. This sensation is common enough that many women instinctively empty their bladder before sex to reassure themselves.
How It Differs From Urinary Leakage
One reason squirting has been misunderstood for so long is that it can look similar to coital incontinence, which is the involuntary leakage of urine during sex. The two are distinct. Coital incontinence is considered a medical condition, often linked to urethral disorders or an overactive bladder, and it typically occurs during penetration rather than at the point of orgasm. Squirting, by contrast, is a natural response to sexual arousal that tends to happen at or near orgasm.
Clinicians now use imaging tools like ultrasound and MRI, along with biochemical testing of the fluid, to distinguish between the two when there’s uncertainty. The presence of PSA in the fluid is one reliable marker that the Skene’s glands are involved rather than simple bladder leakage. If fluid release during sex is accompanied by other urinary symptoms like urgency or leakage at other times, that points more toward an incontinence issue worth discussing with a doctor.
Why It Happens at All
There’s no definitive answer for why the body produces this response. The Skene’s glands serve a clear everyday function: they secrete a substance that lubricates the urethral opening during urination and helps prevent urinary tract infections by creating a barrier against bacteria. Their role during sexual arousal, producing lubrication and potentially contributing to ejaculation, appears to be a secondary function.
The broader question of why female orgasm exists at all has an interesting evolutionary answer. Research from Yale and the University of Cincinnati found that the hormonal surge during orgasm is likely an evolutionary holdover from a time when it served a reproductive purpose. In animals like rabbits, cats, and ferrets, the clitoris sits inside the reproductive tract, and the hormones released during mating directly trigger ovulation. Humans retained the same hormonal response, but because ovulation became a spontaneous monthly cycle rather than something triggered by sex, the orgasm lost its reproductive role. The researchers tested this theory by giving rabbits an antidepressant known to suppress orgasm in women. The treated rabbits ovulated 30 percent less frequently, supporting the biological link between the two systems.
What It Feels Like
Women who experience squirting describe it in varied ways. For some, it accompanies an especially intense orgasm and feels like a release of pressure or tension. Others experience it as a warm rush. The volume of fluid varies enormously, from a small amount that might go unnoticed to a much larger quantity. Neither extreme indicates anything about health or arousal level.
The sensation that precedes squirting often resembles the urge to urinate, which can cause anxiety or lead someone to hold back. This is one reason many women who are physically capable of squirting may not experience it regularly. Relaxation and comfort with a partner play a significant role in whether the reflex completes. There’s nothing voluntary about the mechanism itself, but tension and self-consciousness can inhibit it.
Is It Normal?
Squirting is a normal variation of sexual response. It is not a sign of a medical problem, and its absence is equally normal. The wide range in how often it happens, how much fluid is involved, and what type of stimulation triggers it reflects genuine anatomical and neurological differences between individuals. Women who squirt every time they orgasm, women who experience it once and never again, and women who never experience it are all within the range of typical human physiology.