Squirting is not a myth. It’s a real physiological response that occurs during sexual arousal or orgasm, and it has been documented in clinical studies using ultrasound imaging, biochemical analysis, and direct observation. That said, what people commonly call “squirting” is more complicated than most realize, because it actually involves two distinct phenomena that often get lumped together.
Squirting and Female Ejaculation Are Two Different Things
One of the biggest sources of confusion is that “squirting” and “female ejaculation” are used interchangeably, but they’re physiologically separate events. Female ejaculation is the release of about 1 milliliter of thick, whitish fluid from the Skene’s glands, two tiny ducts located on either side of the urethra. This fluid contains prostate-specific antigen (PSA), fructose, and glucose, giving it a composition remarkably similar to seminal fluid. The Skene’s glands actually develop from the same embryonic cells that become the prostate in males, which is why they’re sometimes called the “female prostate.”
Squirting, on the other hand, involves a much larger volume of clear fluid, ranging from tens to hundreds of milliliters, released from the urethra during orgasm or high arousal. That’s a very different quantity and a very different fluid. Researchers have shown through pelvic ultrasound and biochemical testing that squirting fluid originates in the bladder and contains urea, creatinine, and uric acid, the same waste products found in urine. However, squirting fluid can also contain small amounts of PSA, glucose, and fructose, which suggests both phenomena can happen simultaneously.
What the Fluid Actually Contains
A study from Okayama University used a particularly direct method to trace the origin of squirting fluid. Researchers inserted a urethral catheter into five women’s bladders, emptied them, then injected a blue dye. After sexual stimulation, the squirted fluid came out blue in every case, confirming that at least a portion of the liquid came from the bladder. The volume expelled during squirting can reach several hundred milliliters.
So is squirting “just urine”? Not exactly. The fluid is dilute and chemically altered compared to regular urine. It passes through the kidneys and collects in the bladder, but the presence of PSA and other secretions from the Skene’s glands means it’s not identical to what you’d produce during a normal trip to the bathroom. The International Continence Society explicitly distinguishes squirting from urinary incontinence, describing both squirting and female ejaculation as “two different physiological components of female sexuality” rather than signs of a medical problem.
How Common It Is
Survey data on prevalence varies widely depending on how the question is asked and who’s being surveyed. In one population-based survey, 54% of 233 women reported a spurt of fluid at orgasm. A larger mail survey of 1,172 women found that about 40% identified as ejaculators. On the lower end, one study of 300 women put the figure at just under 5%. The wide range likely reflects differences in definitions, comfort levels with reporting, and whether researchers distinguished between the small-volume ejaculation and high-volume squirting.
Regardless of the exact number, it’s clear that a meaningful percentage of women experience some form of fluid release during sexual activity. It’s neither universal nor vanishingly rare.
What Happens in the Body During Arousal
The Skene’s glands swell during sexual stimulation as blood flow increases to the area. They secrete fluid that helps lubricate the urethral opening, and in some people, they release a milk-like substance during orgasm. This is the true “female ejaculation” component. The glands are tiny, with openings nearly impossible to see with the naked eye, so the volume they produce is small.
The squirting component appears to involve rapid bladder filling during arousal. Ultrasound studies have shown that the bladder can fill noticeably during sexual stimulation even when it was recently emptied, and then empty again at the point of orgasm. The exact mechanism behind this rapid filling isn’t fully understood, but the kidneys appear to produce fluid at an accelerated rate during high arousal.
Why the “Myth” Question Persists
Several factors keep this debate alive. Pornography often exaggerates squirting for visual effect, which leads some people to assume the whole thing is staged. The involvement of bladder fluid makes others dismiss it as simple incontinence. And the relatively recent scientific attention to female sexual physiology means there’s less accumulated research compared to male ejaculation.
The International Continence Society has taken a clear position: fluid expulsion during sex can come from the vagina, the bladder, the Skene’s glands, or a combination of all three. Understanding the difference between a normal arousal response and actual urinary incontinence matters, because the two require very different approaches. Coital incontinence is involuntary and often distressing, typically linked to pelvic floor dysfunction. Squirting and female ejaculation, by contrast, are associated with high arousal and orgasm, and surveys consistently find that women who experience them report a positive impact on their sexual lives and their partners’.
The short answer: squirting is real, it’s physiologically documented, and it’s a normal variation in sexual response. The fluid is primarily from the bladder but is not purely urine, and the experience is distinct from urinary incontinence.