Squirting is a reflexive release of fluid during sexual arousal or orgasm, and while many people experience it without concern, others find it unwanted, distracting, or embarrassing. You can reduce or prevent it by managing a few key factors: bladder fullness, pelvic floor control, the type of stimulation you receive, and your level of arousal. Roughly half of women have experienced squirting at some point, so wanting to manage it is far from unusual.
What Actually Happens When You Squirt
Understanding the mechanism helps you control it. Squirting involves the expulsion of fluid from the bladder through the urethra during high arousal or orgasm. Research using dye injected into the bladder has confirmed that the main component of squirting fluid is urine, though it also contains secretions from the Skene’s glands, small structures on either side of the urethra that are sometimes called the female prostate. These glands swell during arousal and can release a whitish fluid on their own, which is technically a separate process from squirting.
The key distinction: a small amount of milky secretion from the Skene’s glands is female ejaculation. The larger gush of more dilute fluid is squirting. They’re two different physiological responses, and they can happen at the same time. When people say they want to stop squirting, they’re usually talking about the larger volume of fluid, which is closely tied to bladder filling and intense stimulation.
Empty Your Bladder Before Sex
This is the single most effective step. Because the fluid released during squirting comes primarily from the bladder, starting with an empty bladder significantly reduces the volume available. Urinate as close to the start of sexual activity as possible. During extended sessions, the bladder can refill surprisingly quickly (the kidneys don’t stop working), so if you’re concerned, taking a break to use the bathroom partway through can help as well.
Many people who squirt describe a sensation similar to needing to urinate right before it happens. That feeling is your signal. If you empty your bladder beforehand, that pressure sensation is less likely to build, and even if fluid is still released, the amount will be much smaller.
Adjust the Type of Stimulation
Squirting is strongly linked to specific kinds of stimulation, particularly firm pressure on the front vaginal wall (the area often called the G-spot). This zone sits directly against the Skene’s glands and the bladder, so sustained pressure there is the most common trigger.
If you want to reduce squirting, try these adjustments:
- Shift angle and depth. Positions or movements that create less direct pressure on the front vaginal wall are less likely to trigger the reflex. Shallower penetration or angles that target the back wall instead can make a noticeable difference.
- Reduce intensity at peak arousal. Squirting typically happens at or near orgasm, when arousal is highest. Slowing down, switching to lighter touch, or briefly pausing when you feel that pre-squirt pressure building gives the reflex less momentum.
- Focus on clitoral stimulation. External stimulation is far less likely to trigger squirting than internal pressure, so shifting the balance toward clitoral contact can help you reach orgasm without the fluid release.
Work With Your Pelvic Floor
Your pelvic floor muscles play a direct role in whether fluid is released through the urethra. These muscles surround the bladder opening and contract involuntarily during orgasm, which can push fluid out. Learning to consciously engage them gives you more control over that process.
The approach here is counterintuitive. Many people instinctively try to “bear down” or push when they feel the squirting sensation building, which actually opens the urethra and makes fluid release more likely. Instead, practice gently contracting your pelvic floor (the same squeeze you’d use to stop urinating midstream) when you feel that building pressure. This tightens the urethral sphincter and can prevent or reduce the release.
Regular pelvic floor exercises outside of sexual activity help build the strength and awareness needed to do this in the moment. Even a few weeks of daily practice (contracting for 5 seconds, relaxing for 5 seconds, repeating 10 times) can improve your ability to engage those muscles voluntarily during sex. If your pelvic floor is overly tight or imbalanced, which can cause its own problems like urgency or leaking, a pelvic floor physiotherapist can help you find the right balance between strength and relaxation.
Manage Arousal Levels
The degree of sexual arousal directly affects whether squirting occurs. Research confirms that the quantity, composition, and release of fluid all depend partly on how aroused you are. This doesn’t mean you need to have less enjoyable sex. It means being aware of your arousal curve and making small adjustments.
Edging (building toward orgasm and then pulling back) can sometimes reduce squirting if you use the pause to consciously relax and engage your pelvic floor. On the other hand, some people find that prolonged high arousal makes squirting more likely, so a more direct path to orgasm without extended buildup works better for them. This varies from person to person, so experimenting with pacing is worthwhile.
Communication with your partner matters here. If certain techniques consistently trigger squirting and you’d prefer to avoid it, letting your partner know which movements, pressures, or speeds to adjust isn’t awkward. It’s practical.
Prepare for What You Can’t Fully Control
Even with all of these strategies, squirting may not be entirely preventable for everyone. The reflex involves involuntary muscle contractions and gland activity that you can influence but not always override completely. If reducing the volume and frequency is your goal rather than total elimination, the combination of an empty bladder, adjusted stimulation, and pelvic floor engagement will get you most of the way there.
For the times it does happen, keeping a folded towel or waterproof blanket underneath you removes the stress of worrying about sheets and mattresses. That peace of mind alone can be enough to reduce anxiety, which paradoxically helps with control, since tensing up from worry can make the pelvic floor behave less predictably.
It’s also worth noting that squirting and stress urinary incontinence during sex (leaking urine from physical pressure, not from arousal) are clinically different conditions, though they can look similar. If you’re experiencing large amounts of fluid release without any connection to arousal or orgasm, or if it happens during nonsexual physical activity, that points more toward a pelvic floor issue worth addressing with a specialist.