The short answer is that no single factor explains it. Whether a woman experiences squirting depends on a combination of anatomical differences in glandular tissue near the urethra, hormonal influences on that tissue, the specific pattern of arousal and stimulation, and psychological factors like comfort and trust with a partner. Researchers have only recently started untangling these threads, and they have also discovered that “squirting” and “female ejaculation” are two distinct phenomena that get lumped together in everyday conversation, which muddies the picture further.
What Happens Inside the Body During Squirting
A French research team provided the clearest picture of the squirting mechanism by performing ultrasound scans on seven women at three stages: before arousal, just before squirting, and immediately after. Before sexual stimulation, each woman’s bladder was confirmed empty. As arousal built, ultrasound showed the bladder noticeably refilling. Right after squirting occurred, the bladder was empty again. The fluid expelled during squirting comes from the bladder, not from glands alongside the urethra.1PubMed. Nature and origin of “squirting” in female sexuality
Biochemical testing of that fluid tells a consistent story: it contains urea, creatinine, and uric acid at concentrations resembling very dilute urine. But in five of the seven women, the squirted fluid also contained prostate-specific antigen, a marker that does not appear in ordinary urine. That detail matters because it suggests the fluid picks up secretions from glandular tissue surrounding the urethra on its way out. So squirting is primarily a bladder event, but it is not simply urination. The body appears to rapidly produce and expel a dilute fluid through a mechanism tied to high arousal, with a small contribution from nearby glands.1PubMed. Nature and origin of “squirting” in female sexuality
Squirting and Female Ejaculation Are Not the Same Thing
Much of the confusion around who squirts and who does not comes from treating squirting and female ejaculation as one phenomenon. They are not. A narrative review examining the biochemistry of female sexual fluids drew a clear distinction: female ejaculation is a small-volume secretion, just a few milliliters of thick, whitish fluid produced by the Skene’s glands (also called the female prostate). Squirting, by contrast, involves a much larger volume of transparent fluid, often ten milliliters or more, expelled from the bladder through the urethra.2PubMed. Differential diagnostics of female “sexual” fluids: a narrative review
A case study examining both fluids side by side confirmed the biochemical split. The larger-volume squirting fluid had the profile of diluted urine, while the smaller ejaculatory secretion contained prostate-specific antigen at concentrations comparable to some components found in male semen.3The Journal of Sexual Medicine. New Insights from One Case of Female Ejaculation This means a woman might experience one, the other, both at the same time, or neither. Asking “why don’t I squirt?” and “why don’t I ejaculate?” are actually two different questions with different anatomical answers.
A systematic review reinforced that these are separate physiological events and added a third category: coital incontinence, which is an involuntary urine leak during sex caused by a pelvic floor disorder. All three can look similar from the outside, but they have completely different origins and different implications for health.4PubMed. Female ejaculation orgasm vs. coital incontinence: a systematic review
The Anatomy Varies More Than You Might Think
The Skene’s glands, or female prostate, sit embedded in the tissue surrounding the urethra. They are the source of the thick, PSA-containing fluid in true female ejaculation. But here is a key finding: these glands are not the same size or development in every woman. In one of the earliest histological studies of this tissue, researchers examined urethral tissue from 19 women ranging from newborns to 86-year-olds. Paraurethral glands were found in 18 of 19 cases, but the percentage that stained positive for prostate-specific antigen was about 83 percent, not 100 percent. And only about 67 percent stained positive for another prostate marker.5PubMed. Homology between the female paraurethral (Skene’s) glands and the prostate. Immunohistochemical demonstration
Ultrastructural analysis using electron microscopy has confirmed that when the female prostate is well-developed, it displays mature secretory cells similar to those in the male prostate after puberty.6PubMed. Ultrastructure of the normal adult human female prostate gland (Skene’s gland) A more recent review described the broader region, the anterior vaginal wall and surrounding tissue, as having glandular tissue with morphology and chemical markers similar to the male prostate and playing a role in the female sexual response.7Sexual Medicine Reviews. Should We Call it a Prostate? A Review of the Female Periurethral Glandular Tissue Morphology, Histochemistry, Nomenclature, and Role in Iatrogenic Sexual Dysfunction
The practical takeaway is that women differ in the amount and functional maturity of their glandular tissue in this region. A woman with more developed Skene’s glands may be more likely to produce a noticeable ejaculatory secretion, while a woman with less glandular tissue may not, regardless of technique or arousal. Since squirting itself is primarily a bladder event, gland size matters less for squirting than it does for ejaculation, but the two often occur together, and the glandular contribution may affect how the experience feels and what fluid is produced.
Hormones Shape the Tissue
If anatomy is part of the answer, the follow-up question is whether that anatomy stays fixed throughout life. It does not. Animal research on the female prostate in gerbils, one of the better-studied models for this tissue, shows that hormones actively reshape it. Testosterone treatment stimulated glandular growth, cell proliferation, and increased secretory activity in the female prostate.8Biology of Reproduction. Testosterone Stimulates Growth and Secretory Activity of the Female Prostate in the Adult Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) Treatment with an anti-androgen (cyproterone acetate) caused the glandular tissue to shrink and become less active, while estrogen treatment produced glandular overgrowth and higher receptor sensitivity.9PubMed. Combined oral contraceptives promote androgen receptor and oestrogen receptor alpha upregulation in the female prostate (Skene’s paraurethral glands) of adult gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus)
These are animal studies, so direct translation to humans requires caution. But the implication is that a woman’s hormonal environment, which changes with age, menstrual cycle phase, pregnancy, menopause, hormonal contraceptives, and conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome, could influence the size and secretory capacity of her periurethral glandular tissue. Some women report that squirting began or stopped at particular life stages, and fluctuating hormone levels are a plausible piece of that puzzle.
The Role of Arousal and the CUV Complex
The old idea of a distinct anatomical “G-spot” has evolved. Recent literature describes the area not as a fixed button but as a functional zone involving the clitoris (including its internal structures), the urethra, and the anterior vaginal wall working together. Researchers have named this the clitorourethrovaginal (CUV) complex. It is hormone-dependent and varies substantially from person to person in how developed it is and how it responds to stimulation.10Current Sexual Health Reports. Do We Still Believe There Is a G-spot?
This reconceptualization helps explain why stimulating the anterior vaginal wall triggers squirting in some women and does nothing special in others. The density of nerve endings, the thickness of the tissue, the proximity of the clitoral branches to the urethra, and the size of the surrounding glands all vary. Rather than a single technique that “works” for everyone, the CUV complex framework suggests that arousal pathways and responsive zones are genuinely individual. A woman who does not squirt from anterior vaginal wall stimulation may simply have a different layout, not a deficiency.
Psychological Factors Matter More Than Expected
A case-control study compared women who experienced squirting with a control group on a range of psychological and sexual measures. The squirting group scored significantly higher on overall sexual function, desire, arousal, and lubrication. They also scored higher on measures of orgasm intensity and sexual excitation. But the psychological differences were just as striking: women who squirted reported significantly less discomfort with physical closeness, lower body-image distress, and lower anxiety.11The Journal of Sexual Medicine. The squirt game. Psychosexual characteristics of women experiencing squirting: insights from a case–control study
Qualitative research paints a similar picture from the women’s own perspectives. In interviews, women described trust as central to the experience. One participant put it plainly: she could not squirt with someone she did not trust, and needed to feel accepted by her partner. Others described how goal-oriented pressure, the mindset of “I’m going to make it happen,” actively blocked it. Relaxation and absence of performance anxiety were consistently cited as preconditions.12The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Experiences of young women in the practice of squirting: a descriptive qualitative study
Researchers have speculated that social stigma plays a role too. The persistent belief that squirting is “just urinating” may lead women to clench or suppress the sensation, particularly if they feel embarrassed. Avoidant attachment styles, religious discomfort with sexual expression, and generalized anxiety were all flagged as potential inhibitors in the case-control study’s analysis.13The Journal of Sexual Medicine. The squirt game. psychosexual characteristics of women experiencing squirting: Insights from a case–control study The upshot is that even with favorable anatomy, psychological barriers can prevent the experience from occurring.
How Common Is It?
Estimates vary depending on the population surveyed and how the question is asked. A U.S. probability sample of adult women ages 18 to 93 found that about 40 percent reported having squirted at least once in their lifetime, with a typical frequency of three to five times total.14PubMed. Vaginal Squirting: Experiences, Discoveries, and Strategies in a U.S. Probability Sample of Women Ages 18-93 A Swedish cross-sectional study put the figure higher: 58 percent of women reported personal experience with ejaculation or squirting, and another 6 percent were unsure whether it had happened.15PubMed Central. Women’s experiences of female ejaculation and/or squirting: a Swedish cross-sectional study
The gap between 40 and 58 percent likely reflects both cultural differences in comfort discussing the topic and the blurring of squirting with ejaculation in survey language. The Swedish study grouped the two together, which would capture more respondents. Either way, neither figure supports the idea that squirting is rare. It appears to be a common, if not universal, part of sexual experience, and the large minority of women who have never experienced it are also well within normal range.
Telling It Apart From Coital Incontinence
One worry that keeps some women from exploring or discussing squirting is the fear that they are simply leaking urine during sex because something is wrong with their pelvic floor. Clinicians have worked to formalize the distinction. A systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic criteria found that women with coital incontinence at penetration showed stress urinary incontinence on testing about 89 percent of the time, while those with coital incontinence at orgasm showed bladder muscle overactivity in about 69 percent of cases. Women who experienced only physiological fluid expulsion, meaning ejaculation or squirting, showed no stress incontinence or bladder overactivity on the same tests.16The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Female Ejaculation, Squirting, and Coital Incontinence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Biochemical, Imaging, and Urodynamic Diagnostic Criteria
There was also a clear subjective difference. Women with coital incontinence described the experience as involuntary, distressing, and identical to urination. Women with physiological squirting described high arousal and satisfaction. If fluid release during sex feels pleasurable and occurs alongside intense arousal, it is almost certainly squirting or ejaculation. If it feels like losing bladder control and causes distress, it is worth discussing with a healthcare provider, because effective treatments exist for incontinence.
How Pornography Distorts the Conversation
Pornographic depictions of squirting frequently exaggerate both the volume of fluid and the consistency with which it accompanies orgasm.17The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Vaginal Squirting: Origin, Experiences and Discoveries: A Systematic Review In interviews, young women who had experienced squirting described the influence of porn in blunt terms: men sometimes treated it as a goal they needed to achieve, equating it with orgasm and maximum pleasure. One participant noted that in porn, squirting looks like it always accompanies orgasm, “when the reality is not like that.”12The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Experiences of young women in the practice of squirting: a descriptive qualitative study
This creates a two-sided problem. Women who do squirt may feel pressured to perform it on demand, which, as the psychological research shows, tends to make it less likely. Women who do not squirt may feel like their bodies are not responding “correctly,” when in fact they are simply among the large portion of the population for whom it does not happen, or for whom the right combination of anatomy, hormones, arousal, and psychological safety has not aligned. The evidence consistently points away from squirting as a reliable measure of pleasure or sexual health.
An Ancient Observation, Not a Modern Discovery
The impression that squirting is a recent fascination driven by internet culture is historically wrong. A review tracing references to female ejaculation found mentions in Chinese Taoist texts as early as the fourth century, in Indian Kāmaśāstra writings from the seventh century, and in Western writings by Aristotle around 300 B.C. The Dutch physician Reinier de Graaf provided the first scientific description of the phenomenon in the seventeenth century and was the first to refer to the periurethral glands as the “female prostate.”18PubMed. The history of female ejaculation
Despite centuries of documentation, scientific understanding remains patchy. A 2020 review noted that views about female ejaculation are still “controversial and inconsistent, with no clear conclusion as to its function.”19PubMed. Female ejaculation: An update on anatomy, history, and controversies One hypothesis suggests an antimicrobial function: that ejaculatory secretions flushed into the urethra during arousal could help protect against urinary tract infections, giving women who produced those secretions a reproductive advantage over evolutionary time.20PubMed. Does female ejaculation serve an antimicrobial purpose? It is an intriguing idea, but it remains a hypothesis without direct experimental confirmation, and it applies more to the glandular ejaculatory secretion than to the larger-volume squirting fluid from the bladder. The honest state of the science is that researchers know more about what squirting is than about why it exists or why it happens for some women and not others.