Not every person with a vulva squirts, and the reason has more to do with natural anatomical variation than with technique, arousal level, or anything being “wrong.” Surveys suggest that roughly 40 to 58 percent of women report having experienced squirting or ejaculation at some point in their lives, meaning a very large share never have. The science behind why is a mix of glandular anatomy, pelvic muscle function, hormonal influence, and how the brain processes arousal, and researchers are still sorting through the details. What is clear is that squirting is one of many possible sexual responses, not a universal benchmark of pleasure.
The Glands Behind the Fluid
The fluid involved in squirting and female ejaculation originates primarily from two structures: the Skene’s glands (also called the paraurethral glands or the “female prostate”) and the bladder. The Skene’s glands sit on either side of the urethra, and they are biologically related to the male prostate. Immunohistochemical studies have confirmed that these glands produce prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the same marker associated with the male prostate, and share tissue markers including androgen receptors and other proteins typically linked to prostatic tissue.1PubMed. Homology between the female paraurethral (Skene’s) glands and the prostate. Immunohistochemical demonstration2PubMed. The prostate in women: an updated histological and immunohistochemical profile of the female periurethral glands and their relationship to an implanted midurethral sling
Here is the critical point: the Skene’s glands vary dramatically in size and development from person to person. In some women, these glands are well-developed with ample glandular tissue, ducts, and nerve supply. In others, they are tiny or functionally minimal. This is not a defect. It is the same kind of anatomical variability you see with any body structure, like earlobes or noses. If your Skene’s glands happen to be smaller or less developed, there is simply less tissue available to produce and expel fluid during arousal and orgasm. No amount of technique can override a gland that isn’t there in the same way it is in someone else.
Squirting Versus Ejaculation, and Why the Difference Matters
Researchers now distinguish between two overlapping but different phenomena. Female ejaculation is a small volume of thick, whitish fluid that comes from the Skene’s glands and contains PSA. Squirting is a larger, more watery gush that biochemical studies have shown is closer in composition to very dilute urine, with measurable levels of urea, creatinine, and uric acid. A landmark study using ultrasound imaging and fluid analysis found that the bladder fills noticeably during arousal, then empties at the moment of squirting, and the expelled fluid contained these urinary markers. However, in most participants, PSA also showed up in the squirted fluid, suggesting the Skene’s glands contribute to the mix even during larger-volume squirting.3PubMed. Nature and origin of “squirting” in female sexuality
Both phenomena can happen at the same time. A systematic review of the research described female ejaculation as a smaller secretion from the female prostate and squirting as a larger diluted fluid, and noted that the two may co-occur.4PubMed. Female ejaculation orgasm vs. coital incontinence: a systematic review The practical takeaway is that if you have experienced a small amount of milky fluid during orgasm, you may already be “ejaculating” without realizing it, because it does not look like the dramatic squirting often depicted in pornography.
How Common Is It, Really?
The numbers depend heavily on how the question is asked and who is being surveyed. A nationally representative U.S. probability sample found that about 40 percent of adult women reported having squirted at some point, with a median frequency of three to five times total.5PubMed. Vaginal Squirting: Experiences, Discoveries, and Strategies in a U.S. Probability Sample of Women Ages 18-93 A Swedish cross-sectional study found a higher figure: 58 percent of women reported personal experience of ejaculation or squirting, and another 6 percent were unsure whether they had ever experienced it.6PubMed Central. Women’s experiences of female ejaculation and/or squirting: a Swedish cross-sectional study
So somewhere between 40 and 60 percent of women have experienced it at least once, which means 40 to 60 percent have not. These are not small minorities on either side. The experience is common enough to be a normal variant of sexual response and uncommon enough that not experiencing it is equally normal. If you fall into the “never have” camp, you are in company with tens of millions of other people.
The Anatomy of Stimulation
When squirting does happen, it is usually linked to stimulation of the anterior vaginal wall, the area often called the G-spot. Researchers have moved away from the idea of a single discrete “spot” and now describe a broader zone called the clitourethrovaginal (CUV) complex. This is the area where the internal portions of the clitoris, the urethra, and the front wall of the vagina all sit close together. During penetration, the anterior vaginal wall moves downward and increases contact with whatever is pressing against it, creating stimulation across all three structures simultaneously.7PubMed Central. G-spot: Fact or Fiction?: A Systematic Review8PubMed. Beyond the G-spot: clitourethrovaginal complex anatomy in female orgasm
Sonographic studies have added another layer to this picture. The sensitivity of the lower anterior vaginal wall appears to be explained in part by the movement and pressure on the root of the clitoris during vaginal penetration and subsequent pelvic floor contraction.9PubMed. The clitoral complex: a dynamic sonographic study In other words, what feels like vaginal stimulation is often clitoral stimulation from the inside. The Skene’s glands sit right in this neighborhood, which is why firm, rhythmic pressure on the anterior wall is the stimulation pattern most commonly associated with squirting.
But here is where individual anatomy comes back into play. The exact arrangement of the clitoris, urethra, and vaginal wall varies from person to person. If the internal clitoral structures sit farther from the vaginal wall, or if the Skene’s glands are positioned differently, the same type of stimulation will produce a different response. This is not something you can override with effort.
Pelvic Floor Muscles and Their Role
The pelvic floor muscles are involved in orgasm generally and seem to play a specific role in the expulsion of fluid. Research has found that the duration of pelvic floor muscle contractions is significantly higher in women who experience orgasm compared to those who do not.10PubMed Central. Pelvic floor muscle strength is correlated with sexual function Stronger, more sustained contractions could help expel fluid from the Skene’s glands or the bladder during orgasm, which is one reason pelvic floor exercises are sometimes suggested as a way to facilitate squirting.
That said, pelvic floor strength is only one variable in a much larger equation. A person with strong pelvic floor muscles but minimal Skene’s gland tissue still may not produce noticeable fluid. And someone with well-developed glands but weak pelvic floor tone might ejaculate a small amount without ever experiencing the forceful expulsion that “squirting” typically refers to. Pelvic floor training can improve orgasm quality and sexual sensation broadly, but there is no clinical evidence that it will reliably make someone squirt who has never done so.
Hormones and Gland Activity
The Skene’s glands appear to be hormone-sensitive. Animal research on the female prostate (a homologous structure in gerbils) has shown that glandular growth and secretory activity increase during phases of the reproductive cycle when estrogen and progesterone levels peak and decrease when those hormones drop.11Biology of Reproduction. Hormonal oscillations during the estrous cycle influence the morphophysiology of the gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) female prostate (skene paraurethral glands) While direct human data on this point remain limited, the finding is consistent with anecdotal reports from women who notice that squirting happens more easily at certain times in their menstrual cycle.
The Skene’s glands also express androgen receptors, which suggests that testosterone levels may influence their development and function.2PubMed. The prostate in women: an updated histological and immunohistochemical profile of the female periurethral glands and their relationship to an implanted midurethral sling Hormonal variation across the lifespan — puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause, menopause — could all affect gland size and activity. This is still an area with more questions than answers, but it helps explain why some people find that their ability to squirt changes over time or never develops at all.
The Nervous System and Mental State
Sexual arousal and orgasm are coordinated by three sets of pelvic nerves (somatic, sympathetic, and parasympathetic) that are all under the brain’s control. The brain sends both excitatory and inhibitory signals down to the pelvis, which means your mental and emotional state has a direct line to whether your body can relax, build arousal, and release fluid.12PubMed Central. Neural Control and Physiology of Sexual Function: Effect of Spinal Cord Injury
This matters for squirting because the sensation immediately before fluid release often feels like the urge to urinate, which can trigger an involuntary clenching response. Many people describe getting close and then pulling back, either consciously or subconsciously, because they are worried about wetting the bed. That clenching engages the same muscles that stop urine flow, and it can prevent fluid expulsion. Letting go of that inhibition is easier said than done, especially if you are anxious about what will come out or what a partner will think.
A qualitative study exploring women’s experiences with squirting found that emotional and psychological responses to the event ranged from heightened arousal and pleasure to feelings of humiliation and embarrassment. A partner’s reaction was a major factor in whether squirting was experienced positively or negatively.13PubMed. Experiences of young women in the practice of squirting: a descriptive qualitative study When the psychological environment feels safe and pressure-free, the brain is less likely to send inhibitory signals to the pelvic nerves. When there is anxiety, performance pressure, or shame, those inhibitory signals dominate.
What Pornography Gets Wrong
The depiction of squirting in pornography has created a skewed expectation of what it looks like, how much fluid is involved, and how easily it happens. The same qualitative study noted that women’s understanding of squirting was often shaped by pornography, which tends to portray it as a dramatic, high-volume, on-command event.13PubMed. Experiences of young women in the practice of squirting: a descriptive qualitative study In reality, female ejaculation is frequently a small amount of fluid that you might not even notice on dark sheets. The large-volume gushing sometimes seen on screen is often exaggerated or staged.
This distortion creates a double problem. People who do squirt may feel embarrassed because their experience does not match the “performance” they have seen. People who do not squirt may feel deficient, as though their bodies are not responding correctly. Neither reaction is warranted. Researchers have spent decades trying to understand a phenomenon that is still not fully characterized, and one thing the evidence does not support is the idea that squirting is a reliable measure of sexual satisfaction or arousal intensity.
When Fluid Loss During Sex Is a Medical Concern
There is an important distinction between squirting and coital incontinence, which is involuntary urine leakage during sex. The two can look similar from the outside, but they have different causes and different emotional profiles. A systematic review and meta-analysis found clear diagnostic differences: among women with involuntary fluid loss during penetration, about 89 percent showed stress urinary incontinence on clinical testing. Among those with fluid loss specifically at orgasm, about 69 percent had overactive bladder contractions. Women who experienced only physiological squirting or ejaculation showed neither of these conditions on the same testing.14The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Female Ejaculation, Squirting, and Coital Incontinence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Biochemical, Imaging, and Urodynamic Diagnostic Criteria
The experiential difference is also telling. Women with coital incontinence typically described the fluid loss as involuntary and distressing, feeling identical to urination they could not control. Women with physiological squirting reported high arousal and satisfaction at the time of fluid expulsion.14The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Female Ejaculation, Squirting, and Coital Incontinence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Biochemical, Imaging, and Urodynamic Diagnostic Criteria If you experience fluid loss during sex that feels involuntary, distressing, or like regular urination, that is worth discussing with a healthcare provider, because treatments exist for incontinence. But if you are simply not squirting and wondering why, that is not a medical problem to solve.
Why the Science Is Still Catching Up
Female ejaculation and squirting have been written about for centuries. The first scientific description of female ejaculation came from Reinier de Graaf in the seventeenth century, who referred to the paraurethral glands as the female prostate. Ernst Gräfenberg revisited the topic in 1952 when he wrote about the urethra’s role in orgasm.15PubMed. The history of female ejaculation Yet despite centuries of observation, the research base is thin compared to almost any other area of human physiology. A review of 44 publications spanning 1889 to 2019 found that while substantial evidence supports the existence of the female ejaculatory phenomenon, there is still no clear conclusion about its biological function.16PubMed. Female ejaculation: An update on anatomy, history, and controversies
One hypothesis proposes that female ejaculation may have an antimicrobial purpose, flushing secretions containing compounds like zinc into the urethra to protect against urinary tract infections, particularly those triggered by intercourse.17PubMed. Does female ejaculation serve an antimicrobial purpose? This remains speculative. Another possibility is that the Skene’s glands are simply a developmental remnant of the embryonic tissue that forms the prostate in males, with no distinct adaptive purpose in women. The honest answer is that nobody knows yet why some people have well-developed Skene’s glands and others do not, or whether the fluid they produce serves any function beyond being a byproduct of arousal.
Practical Considerations If You Want to Explore
If squirting is something you are curious about, the factors most commonly discussed by researchers and clinicians come down to a few practical areas. Stimulation of the anterior vaginal wall, about two to three inches inside, with firm, rhythmic pressure is the approach most consistently linked to the response. This is sometimes described as a “come hither” motion with the fingers, aimed toward the belly button. Adequate arousal beforehand matters; most women who report squirting describe it happening well into a sexual encounter, not at the beginning.
Emptying the bladder before sex can help reduce anxiety about whether what you feel is urine, which in turn reduces the inhibitory clenching response. Placing a towel down removes the worry about mess. These are not magic solutions, but they address the psychological barriers that can shut down the relaxation needed for fluid release.
Pelvic floor exercises can improve the strength and coordination of the muscles involved in orgasm and fluid expulsion. Even if they do not lead to squirting, they are well-supported for improving sexual sensation and orgasm quality more broadly.10PubMed Central. Pelvic floor muscle strength is correlated with sexual function
But the most important thing to understand is that your anatomy sets the ceiling. If your Skene’s glands are small, if the spatial arrangement of your CUV complex does not lend itself to the kind of pressure that triggers the response, or if your hormonal profile keeps gland activity low, you may never squirt regardless of what you try. That does not reflect a failure of effort or arousal. It reflects the same kind of variation that makes some people able to curl their tongue and others unable to. The science consistently points to anatomical individuality as the primary explanation, and the healthiest response to “why can’t I squirt?” may simply be that your body expresses pleasure differently.