The fluid released when a woman squirts is primarily dilute urine mixed with small amounts of secretions from the Skene’s glands, sometimes called the female prostate. It exits through the urethra, not the vagina, and its composition has been confirmed through ultrasound imaging and biochemical analysis. While the topic carries some stigma, the science is fairly clear on what the fluid contains and where it comes from.
Squirting and Female Ejaculation Are Different Things
One of the biggest sources of confusion is that “squirting” and “female ejaculation” are often used interchangeably, but researchers treat them as two distinct events that can happen separately or at the same time.
Female ejaculation is the release of about 1 milliliter of thick, milky white fluid from the Skene’s glands, two small structures about the size of a blueberry located on either side of the urethra. This fluid is rich in prostate-specific antigen (PSA), fructose, and glucose, giving it a composition surprisingly similar to components found in male semen (minus the sperm). Female ejaculation can happen with or without orgasm, and the volume is small enough that many people don’t notice it.
Squirting, by contrast, involves a much larger volume of clear fluid, ranging from tens to hundreds of milliliters, released from the urethra during high arousal or orgasm. This is the gushing or spraying that most people picture when they hear the word “squirting.” The two can overlap: squirting fluid sometimes contains traces of PSA, fructose, and glucose from the Skene’s glands, meaning both fluids may be released simultaneously.
What Squirting Fluid Actually Contains
Biochemical analysis shows that the large volume of clear fluid expelled during squirting contains urea, creatinine, and uric acid. These are the same waste products filtered by the kidneys and found in urine, confirming that squirting fluid is produced in the kidneys and collected in the bladder. In practical terms, the fluid is a very dilute form of urine, though it’s typically more watered-down than regular urine and often has little to no odor or color.
A key study used pelvic ultrasounds during sexual stimulation and found something telling: participants’ bladders were empty before arousal began, then rapidly filled just before squirting occurred. After squirting, the bladder was empty again. This confirms the bladder as the source of the fluid. Some of the participants’ squirting fluid also contained PSA from the Skene’s glands, while others’ did not, suggesting the mix varies from person to person.
Where the Fluid Comes From
The Skene’s glands develop from the same embryonic tissue that becomes the prostate gland in males, which is why they’re often called the female prostate. During sexual arousal, these glands swell with increased blood flow and can secrete a milky, mucus-like substance. The proteins in this secretion closely resemble those found in male prostatic fluid.
The size of the Skene’s glands varies significantly between individuals, which may partly explain why some women squirt and others don’t. Women with larger or more developed glands may produce more noticeable secretions. The glands drain into the urethra, so both the glandular fluid and the bladder-sourced fluid exit through the same opening.
What Triggers It
Squirting most commonly occurs with G-spot stimulation, though clitoral stimulation can also trigger it. It doesn’t require orgasm, though the two frequently coincide. The G-spot sits on the front wall of the vagina, directly over the area where the Skene’s glands and surrounding erectile tissue are located, which likely explains the connection.
Not every woman experiences squirting, and estimates suggest somewhere between 10% and 40% of women do so regularly or occasionally. Individual anatomy plays a role, including nerve sensitivity, the size of the Skene’s glands, and pelvic floor muscle strength. Some experts believe a stronger pelvic floor may make squirting more likely, since those muscles are involved in the contractions that expel the fluid.
Why It Looks Different From Urine
Even though the fluid originates in the bladder, most people who experience squirting report that it looks, smells, and feels different from urinating. The fluid is typically clear and watery with minimal odor. This likely has to do with how quickly the bladder fills during arousal. Because the fluid accumulates rapidly rather than sitting in the bladder for hours concentrating waste products, it ends up significantly more dilute than typical urine. When Skene’s gland secretions mix in, the composition shifts further from what you’d see in a standard urine sample.
The volume varies widely. Some women produce a small amount that’s barely noticeable, while others release enough to soak through bedding. Neither extreme is a sign of a problem. The variation comes down to individual anatomy and the intensity of arousal or stimulation.