Surveys put the number somewhere between 5% and 54%, depending on how the question is asked and what counts as “squirting.” That enormous range isn’t a sign of bad science. It reflects the fact that researchers are often measuring two different things, that self-reporting varies widely based on how comfortable participants feel discussing it, and that the anatomy involved differs from person to person.
What the Surveys Actually Found
The most commonly cited studies land in three clusters. A population-based survey of 233 women found that 54% reported a spurt of fluid at orgasm. A larger mail survey of 1,172 women found 39.5% reported ejaculating. And a clinical study by Masters and colleagues found just 4.7% of 300 women ejaculated during observation. The overall takeaway from decades of research: fewer than half of women report experiencing it, with most estimates falling in the 10% to 40% range depending on the study design.
These numbers are hard to pin down for a few reasons. Many women may experience small amounts of fluid release without noticing. Others may notice it but not report it due to embarrassment or uncertainty about what happened. And critically, “squirting” and “female ejaculation” are not the same thing, though surveys often lump them together.
Squirting and Ejaculation Are Different
This is the detail most people don’t realize. Researchers now distinguish between two separate events that can happen during arousal or orgasm, sometimes at the same time.
Female ejaculation is a small release of thick, milky fluid, typically less than a quarter teaspoon. It comes from the Skene’s glands, two small structures near the urethral opening that are considered the anatomical equivalent of the male prostate. This fluid contains prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the same protein marker found in male ejaculate.
Squirting is a larger, more forceful gush of fluid from the urethra. The volume ranges from about half an ounce to three ounces. Chemically, it’s a mix: it contains diluted urine along with PSA from the Skene’s glands. In a French ultrasound study of seven women, researchers confirmed that the bladder filled rapidly during arousal and emptied again during squirting, even though the women had urinated right before the session started. In four of five cases tested, the fluid also contained PSA, meaning it wasn’t purely urine.
So squirting involves involuntary bladder release combined with secretions from the Skene’s glands. Female ejaculation is a smaller, chemically distinct fluid from those glands alone. The two often happen together, which is part of why prevalence numbers are so messy.
Why Some Women Experience It and Others Don’t
The Skene’s glands vary significantly in size and development from person to person. In some women, these glands are well-developed and produce noticeable fluid during arousal. In others, they’re smaller or less active. This natural anatomical variation is likely the biggest factor in whether someone ejaculates the thicker, milky fluid.
For squirting specifically, the picture is more complex. Because it involves involuntary bladder release, factors like pelvic floor muscle tone, the type of stimulation, hydration level, and how relaxed someone is during sex all play a role. Research from the International Society for Sexual Medicine points to psychosexual factors as well: comfort with a partner, body confidence, and freedom from anxiety about the experience all appear to make squirting more likely. Women in trusting relationships with open communication reported feeling more comfortable letting it happen.
The Role of Stigma and Expectations
Squirting occupies an awkward cultural space. Pornography has made it seem both common and dramatic, creating unrealistic expectations. At the same time, the knowledge that the fluid contains urine creates stigma and self-consciousness for women who do experience it. Both pressures distort how people talk about it and, by extension, how accurately surveys capture its prevalence.
Some women who squirt report enhanced orgasm intensity, but researchers note that this perception may be partially shaped by cultural ideas about what a “complete” orgasm looks like. The physical sensation itself varies. For some women it accompanies a particularly strong orgasm. For others it happens without orgasm at all, or feels no different from one without fluid release.
Women who feel anxious about squirting, whether because they worry it’s urine or because they feel pressure to perform, may unconsciously tense up in ways that prevent it. This creates a feedback loop that makes the true biological prevalence even harder to measure. The most useful framing, according to sexual medicine researchers, is that squirting is a normal variation of sexual response, not a goal to chase or something to feel embarrassed about.
The Bottom Line on Prevalence
If you define the question broadly, including any noticeable fluid release during sex, roughly 10% to 54% of women report experiencing it at some point. If you’re asking specifically about the large-volume, forceful squirting commonly depicted in pornography, the number is almost certainly at the lower end of that range. The small-volume, thicker ejaculation from the Skene’s glands may be more common than many women realize, since the amount of fluid can be small enough to go unnoticed. Neither experience is rare, neither is universal, and both fall within the normal range of how bodies work.