Squirting is the release of fluid from the urethra during sexual arousal or orgasm. It can range from a small gush to a large volume, and research suggests around 40% of adult women in the United States report experiencing it at least once. Despite its prominence in pornography, squirting is a real physiological response, though scientists are still refining their understanding of exactly how and why it happens.
What Actually Happens During Squirting
During sexual stimulation, some women release a noticeable amount of clear fluid from the urethra. This can happen during clitoral stimulation, G-spot stimulation, or both, and it doesn’t require orgasm to occur. The volume varies widely, from a few milliliters to hundreds of milliliters. Many women describe feeling a strong urge to urinate right before it happens, which makes sense given what researchers now know about where the fluid comes from.
Whether squirting happens at all likely depends on individual anatomy, pelvic muscle control, and nerve sensitivity. It’s not something every woman experiences, and not experiencing it is completely normal.
Squirting vs. Female Ejaculation
These two terms are often used interchangeably, but researchers treat them as distinct events that sometimes overlap.
Female ejaculation is a small secretion, roughly 1 milliliter, of thick, milky white fluid produced by the Skene’s glands (two small glands located near the opening of the urethra). This fluid contains proteins similar to those found in male semen, including prostate-specific antigen, fructose, and glucose. The Skene’s glands develop from the same embryonic tissue as the male prostate, which is why they’re sometimes called the “female prostate.”
Squirting, by contrast, involves a much larger volume of clear fluid. Lab analysis of squirting fluid has found it contains urea, creatinine, and uric acid, the same waste products filtered by the kidneys and stored in the bladder. In short, the bulk of the fluid in squirting is dilute urine. However, squirting fluid also frequently contains small amounts of the proteins associated with female ejaculation, suggesting both processes can happen simultaneously.
Where the Fluid Comes From
Ultrasound imaging studies have provided the clearest picture of the mechanism. In one study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers performed pelvic ultrasounds on women at three points: after they emptied their bladder, during arousal just before squirting, and immediately after squirting. The results were consistent across all participants. The bladder was confirmed empty at the start, filled noticeably during sexual stimulation, and emptied again after squirting occurred.
This means the kidneys produce fluid at an accelerated rate during arousal, the bladder fills rapidly, and that fluid is then expelled through the urethra. The Skene’s glands may contribute a small additional component, but the bladder is the primary source of the volume people associate with squirting.
The Role of the Skene’s Glands
The Skene’s glands sit on either side of the urethra and swell during sexual arousal. They serve a dual purpose: they secrete a lubricating substance that helps protect the urethral opening from bacteria (reducing UTI risk), and they produce fluid during arousal and orgasm. In some women, these glands produce enough secretion during orgasm to be noticeable on its own, which is what researchers specifically classify as female ejaculation.
The size of the Skene’s glands varies significantly from person to person. Some women have relatively large, active glands while others have very small ones, which may partly explain why experiences with ejaculation and squirting differ so much between individuals.
How Common It Is
Estimates vary depending on how the question is asked and which phenomenon (squirting, ejaculation, or both) researchers are measuring. Studies have placed the range for female ejaculation anywhere from 10% to 54% of women. One survey found that as many as 69% of women reported squirting during sex. The most recent U.S. data puts the lifetime prevalence of squirting at about 40% of adult women.
Among women who do squirt, roughly 60% describe the experience as pleasurable. Only about 20% report that squirting always coincides with orgasm, meaning for most women, squirting and orgasm are related but separate events. Some women squirt without orgasming, and many orgasm without squirting.
Why It Feels Like Needing to Urinate
Because squirting fluid accumulates in the bladder before release, the sensation leading up to it closely mimics the urge to pee. This causes many women to tense up or hold back during arousal, which can actually prevent squirting from happening. Understanding that this sensation is a normal part of the process, not a sign that you’re about to lose bladder control in the traditional sense, can make the experience less anxiety-inducing. The fluid released is heavily diluted compared to typical urine and generally has little to no odor or color.