Why Do Some Girls Squirt and Others Don’t?

The short answer involves anatomy, hormones, psychology, and the type of stimulation involved, all interacting in ways researchers are still untangling. The female prostate, a small glandular structure surrounding the urethra, varies considerably in size and development from person to person. That variation alone goes a long way toward explaining why some women experience fluid expulsion during sexual activity and others never do. But anatomy is only part of the picture, and the science here is more nuanced than most people realize, partly because “squirting” and “female ejaculation” are actually two separate things.

Two Phenomena That Get Lumped Together

One of the biggest sources of confusion is that people use “squirting” and “female ejaculation” interchangeably, but they are physiologically distinct. Female ejaculation involves a small amount of thick, whitish fluid secreted by the female prostate (also called Skene’s glands) during orgasm. This fluid contains prostate-specific antigen, a marker also found in male prostatic fluid.¹ Squirting, by contrast, involves a much larger volume of clear fluid expelled in gushes through the urethra. Biochemical analysis shows this fluid has the chemical profile of dilute urine, with measurable urea, creatinine, and uric acid.²

These two things can happen independently or at the same time. The small prostatic secretion often mixes into the larger squirting fluid, which is why biochemical studies sometimes detect traces of prostate-specific antigen in squirted fluid even though the bulk of it originates from the bladder.³ This matters because the mechanisms behind each phenomenon are different, and the reasons one woman experiences one, both, or neither depend on which phenomenon you’re asking about.

The Female Prostate and Why It Varies So Much

The female prostate is the glandular tissue that lines the urethra, historically called Skene’s glands or paraurethral glands. Research using antibody staining has shown that this tissue is genuinely homologous to the male prostate. In a study of 19 female specimens ranging from newborn to 86 years old, paraurethral glands were identified in 18, and about 83% of those tested positive for prostate-specific antigen.⁴ Electron microscopy has further confirmed that the adult female prostate contains mature secretory cells comparable to male prostatic tissue.⁵

Here’s the critical point for understanding individual variation: while nearly all women appear to have some paraurethral glandular tissue, the size, number of ducts, and secretory capacity of these glands differ enormously. Some women have well-developed glandular tissue with prominent ducts that open into the urethra. Others have much smaller, less developed structures. Women with larger, more active female prostates produce more prostatic fluid and are more likely to notice ejaculation during arousal or orgasm. Women with smaller glands may produce fluid too, but in quantities so small they never notice it.

This anatomical variation is not something a person can control or change through practice. It’s a developmental feature, much like how some people have larger or smaller thyroid glands. The glands are present from birth and do not appear to change dramatically with age, based on the available histological evidence.⁴

How Hormones Shape the Glands

While the basic anatomy is set early in life, hormones do influence the female prostate’s activity. Animal research has shown that testosterone has a strong stimulatory effect on the female prostate. In rats exposed to androgen therapy, the female prostate grew substantially and became much more active in producing secretions, taking on a structure resembling the male ventral prostate.⁶ Similar findings emerged from gerbil studies, where testosterone treatment increased both cell proliferation and secretory activity in the female prostate, along with elevated levels of a prostate-specific antigen-related marker in the blood.⁷

These are animal studies, so translating them directly to humans requires caution. But they suggest that women with naturally higher androgen levels may have somewhat more active female prostates, and by extension, may be more prone to ejaculatory fluid production. This is a plausible mechanism, not a confirmed one in humans. However, it aligns with the general observation that hormonal status affects glandular tissues throughout the body.

What Happens in the Bladder During Squirting

Squirting, as opposed to the smaller prostatic ejaculation, involves the bladder itself. Researchers used pelvic ultrasound on women who could reliably squirt, scanning them at three points: after urinating (confirming the bladder was empty), during arousal just before squirting, and immediately after. The results were clear: the bladder filled noticeably during sexual excitation and emptied again when squirting occurred.⁸ The study concluded that squirting is primarily the involuntary release of urine during sexual activity, though prostatic secretions often contribute a small component to the fluid.

This finding is sometimes presented as debunking or delegitimizing squirting, but that framing misses the point. The bladder filling and emptying during high arousal appears to be a reflexive physiological process, not a sign of incontinence. Women who experience squirting report it as pleasurable and closely tied to intense arousal, while women with actual coital incontinence describe it as distressing and involuntary in a different way.⁹ Both involve fluid leaving the urethra, but the subjective experience and the underlying physiology are not the same.

The Difference Between Squirting and Coital Incontinence

This distinction matters clinically and personally. Some women worry that fluid expulsion during sex is a sign of a bladder problem, and some clinicians have mistakenly treated normal squirting as incontinence. A systematic review and meta-analysis found that dye-study evidence confirmed squirting and female ejaculation are physiological, non-pathological processes.⁹ Coital incontinence, by contrast, is a distinct condition. Women who leak urine involuntarily during penetration tend to have stress urinary incontinence (roughly nine in ten cases), while those who leak during orgasm more often have detrusor overactivity, a condition where the bladder muscle contracts inappropriately. Women who only squirt physiologically show neither of these urodynamic abnormalities on testing.

The practical takeaway: if fluid release during sex happens alongside high arousal and feels pleasurable or neutral, it is almost certainly normal squirting or ejaculation. If it feels like an unwanted loss of control, happens outside sexual contexts too, or causes distress, it’s worth discussing with a healthcare provider to rule out a treatable bladder condition.¹⁰

How Common Is Squirting, Really

Prevalence estimates range widely depending on how the question is asked and who’s surveyed. A U.S. probability sample found that about 40% of adult women had squirted at least once in their lifetime, with a median frequency of three to five times total.¹¹ A Swedish cross-sectional study found a higher figure: about 58% of participants reported experiencing ejaculation or squirting, with non-heterosexual women reporting it more often than heterosexual women (roughly 63% versus 52%).¹² An earlier international survey of the literature placed the figure at under 50%.¹³

The range of 40–58% across different samples tells us something important: squirting is not rare, but it is also not universal. A substantial share of women have experienced it at least once, though for many it happens infrequently and unpredictably. One systematic review noted that while subjective reports of ejaculation are common, objectively documented cases (confirmed with biochemical analysis) number only in the tens.¹⁰ That gap between self-reported prevalence and lab-confirmed cases is a reminder of how tricky this phenomenon is to study.

Stimulation Type and the Anterior Vaginal Wall

The type of sexual stimulation plays a significant role in whether squirting or ejaculation occurs. The anterior vaginal wall, the side closest to the belly, is the region most commonly associated with triggering these responses. A systematic review of the so-called G-spot literature found that during vaginal penetration, the anterior vaginal wall moves downward, increasing contact between this area and whatever is stimulating it. Researchers proposed the concept of a “clitourethrovaginal complex,” a zone where the internal clitoris, urethra, and anterior vaginal wall all interact.¹⁴

This matters because the female prostate sits right along the urethra, within this complex. Pressure on the anterior vaginal wall effectively stimulates the glandular tissue underneath. Women who discover squirting often report that specific types of firm, rhythmic pressure against this area are what trigger it, particularly with fingers or curved toys rather than typical thrusting. This is not about finding a magic button; it’s about the anatomical relationship between the vaginal wall, urethra, and underlying glands. Women whose glandular tissue is positioned closer to the surface of the vaginal wall may respond more readily to this type of stimulation.

Psychology, Relaxation, and Trust

Anatomy and stimulation technique set the stage, but psychological state often determines whether the curtain goes up. A qualitative study of young women’s squirting experiences found that trust and relaxation were overwhelmingly cited as necessary conditions. One participant described squirting as “95% psychological” because she could not do it with someone she did not trust. Others noted that approaching it with performance pressure, the mindset of “I’m going to accomplish it,” made it much harder or impossible.¹⁵

The sensation that precedes squirting is often described as feeling like you need to urinate, which makes sense given what we know about the bladder’s involvement. Many women instinctively clench their pelvic floor muscles to avoid what feels like it might be urination, which effectively prevents the release. Women who have learned to squirt consistently often describe the key breakthrough as learning to relax through that sensation rather than fighting it. Participants in the same qualitative study described gradually learning to relax specific muscles in certain positions, though they emphasized that they still did not have complete voluntary control over when it happened.¹⁵

This psychological dimension helps explain some of the individual variation beyond anatomy. Two women with similar glandular development might have very different experiences: one who feels comfortable, safe, and willing to release control may squirt readily, while another who feels self-conscious, pressured, or anxious about what the fluid might be could unconsciously suppress the response entirely.

Pornography and Unrealistic Expectations

The surge of interest in squirting over the past two decades owes a lot to pornography, and that creates its own set of problems. A systematic review noted that pornographic depictions frequently exaggerate both the volume of fluid and the consistency with which it accompanies orgasm, contributing to unrealistic expectations and performance pressure.¹⁶ In real life, squirting is unpredictable, does not happen every time, and the volume varies. In pornography, it tends to be presented as a dramatic, on-demand event that signals the peak of female pleasure.

This creates pressure from two directions. Some women feel inadequate because they cannot squirt, interpreting it as a sign that they are not fully enjoying sex or that something is wrong with their bodies. Some partners treat squirting as a goal to achieve, turning what should be a relaxed, pleasurable experience into a performance test, which, as the qualitative research suggests, is precisely the mindset that makes it less likely to happen. The reality is that squirting is neither a requirement for satisfying sex nor a reliable indicator of orgasm intensity. Plenty of women have powerful orgasms without any fluid expulsion, and some women who squirt report that it does not necessarily correlate with their most pleasurable experiences.

Why Evolutionary Biologists Are Interested

If the female prostate is a functional organ, and if ejaculation serves some purpose, evolutionary biologists want to know what that purpose might be. One hypothesis proposes that the prostatic secretion has an antimicrobial function: by flushing fluid into the urethra during or after sex, it may help protect against urinary tract infections, which are common after intercourse. The theory further suggests that women who could ejaculate antimicrobial secretions had fewer UTIs, were receptive to sex more often, and were therefore more likely to conceive.¹⁷

A separate hypothesis focuses on fertility. This proposal suggests that ejaculatory fluids may help neutralize the naturally acidic vaginal environment, raising the pH toward the range where sperm survive best, and may contain compounds that aid sperm transport toward the egg.¹⁸ Both of these are speculative hypotheses published in a journal specifically for testable-but-unproven ideas. They have not been confirmed experimentally. But they offer plausible evolutionary reasons why the female prostate and its secretory capacity might have been maintained through natural selection, even though it varies widely from woman to woman.

A Phenomenon Discovered, Described, and Forgotten

Modern science sometimes treats female ejaculation as a novelty or a controversy, but it has been recognized across cultures for millennia. The phenomenon appears in Chinese Taoist texts from the fourth century. In the West, the Dutch physician Reinjier De Graaf provided the first scientific description of female ejaculation in the seventeenth century and was the first to refer to the periurethral glands as the female prostate. Historians have noted a pattern of the phenomenon being discovered, described, and then forgotten repeatedly over roughly 2,000 years, each time being treated as new.

This cycle of rediscovery matters because it shapes how the phenomenon is discussed today. Because modern Western medicine spent much of the twentieth century either denying or ignoring female ejaculation, the research base remains thin compared to many other aspects of sexual physiology. The relatively small number of objectively documented cases, the inconsistent terminology, and the lingering stigma around what people assume is urination all trace back to the fact that this was treated as either nonexistent or pathological for most of recent medical history. The research is catching up, but slowly, and the wide variation in prevalence figures across studies reflects how young and messy this field still is.

Pelvic Floor Strength and Individual Control

The pelvic floor muscles surround the urethra and vagina, and their tone and voluntary control influence the mechanics of fluid expulsion. Women with strong, well-coordinated pelvic floor muscles may have more ability to either facilitate or suppress the release of fluid during arousal. The qualitative research with young women found that participants described learning specific muscular relaxation patterns in certain positions, suggesting that pelvic floor awareness plays a practical role.¹⁵ However, this is not the same as saying Kegel exercises will make someone squirt. The relationship between pelvic floor strength and squirting is not linear or simple. A very tense pelvic floor can actually prevent the release, while a very weak one may not provide the muscular backdrop needed for the buildup of pressure. What participants described was not strength per se, but the ability to consciously relax muscles at the right moment, which is a skill distinct from raw strength.

Hydration also comes up frequently in informal discussions about squirting. Given that the larger-volume squirting fluid is primarily a bladder product, being well-hydrated likely increases the volume of fluid available for expulsion. This is a straightforward physiological point, though no controlled study has tested it directly. It does mean that dehydration could make squirting less likely on a given occasion, but adequate hydration alone will not cause it if the other factors, anatomical, hormonal, psychological, are not in place.

1
PubMed. Differential diagnostics of female “sexual” fluids: a narrative review
2
The Journal of Sexual Medicine. New Insights from One Case of Female Ejaculation
3
PubMed. Nature and origin of “squirting” in female sexuality
4
PubMed. Homology between the female paraurethral (Skene’s) glands and the prostate. Immunohistochemical demonstration
5
PubMed. Ultrastructure of the normal adult human female prostate gland (Skene’s gland)
6
PubMed. Testosterone promotes an anabolic increase in the rat female prostate (Skene’s paraurethral gland) which acquires a male ventral prostate phenotype
7
Biology of Reproduction. Testosterone Stimulates Growth and Secretory Activity of the Female Prostate in the Adult Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)
8
The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Nature and Origin of “Squirting” in Female Sexuality
9
The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Female Ejaculation, Squirting, and Coital Incontinence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Biochemical, Imaging, and Urodynamic Diagnostic Criteria
10
PubMed. Female ejaculation orgasm vs. coital incontinence: a systematic review
11
PubMed. Vaginal Squirting: Experiences, Discoveries, and Strategies in a U.S. Probability Sample of Women Ages 18-93
12
PubMed Central. Women’s experiences of female ejaculation and/or squirting: a Swedish cross-sectional study
13
PubMed. International online survey: female ejaculation has a positive impact on women’s and their partners’ sexual lives
14
PubMed Central. G-spot: Fact or Fiction?: A Systematic Review
15
The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Experiences of young women in the practice of squirting: a descriptive qualitative study
16
The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Vaginal Squirting: Origin, Experiences and Discoveries: A Systematic Review
17
PubMed. Does female ejaculation serve an antimicrobial purpose?
18
Medical Hypotheses. Female ejaculation enhances reproductive success