Female ejaculate is typically a small amount of milky white fluid that is released from the urethra during orgasm. It is generally odorless and can also appear clear. But the full picture is more nuanced than that, because women actually produce several different types of sexual fluid, and they each look distinct.
Two Types of Fluid at Orgasm
What most people call “female cum” actually comes in two forms that look and behave quite differently. True female ejaculate is a small quantity of thick, milky white fluid. It comes from two tiny glands located on either side of the urethra, sometimes called the female prostate because they develop from the same cells as the male prostate. This fluid contains some of the same proteins found in male semen, which gives it that characteristic whitish appearance. It has a slightly sweet taste and little to no smell.
The second type is squirting, which involves a much larger volume of fluid, sometimes enough to soak through sheets. Squirted fluid looks very different from ejaculate. It’s thin, watery, and mostly clear, closer in appearance to diluted urine. Chemically, that’s essentially what it is: the fluid is primarily composed of water, urea, and creatinine (the same compounds in urine), though in most women it also contains small amounts of prostate-specific proteins from the female prostate glands. Some women experience one, the other, or both at the same time, which is why descriptions of “what it looks like” vary so widely from person to person.
How It Differs From Arousal Fluid
The wetness that builds during arousal is a completely separate fluid. Most of it comes from glands located near the vaginal opening, which produce a nearly colorless, slippery mucus. Its job is lubrication, and it starts well before orgasm. The vaginal walls also release a thin, clear moisture as blood flow increases during arousal. Both of these fluids are transparent and slick, with a consistency somewhere between water and a light gel.
Ejaculate, by contrast, only appears at or near orgasm, comes from the urethra rather than the vagina, and has that distinctive milky white color. If you’ve noticed a whitish fluid during or after orgasm that doesn’t look like your usual wetness, that’s likely ejaculate.
Volume and How Common It Is
True ejaculate tends to be a very small amount of fluid. Some women may not even notice it because it mixes with arousal lubrication. Squirting, when it happens, is more obvious simply because of the volume involved.
Survey data on how many women ejaculate varies dramatically depending on how the question is asked. One large mail survey of over 1,100 women found that about 40% reported ejaculating. Another population-based survey put the number at 54%. A clinical study by Masters and colleagues recorded only about 5% of 300 women ejaculating. The wide range likely reflects differences in what each study counted as ejaculation, and the fact that many women may ejaculate small amounts without realizing it.
What’s Normal and What Isn’t
Clear, white, or slightly milky fluid at orgasm is normal. So is producing no noticeable fluid at all. The color can shift slightly depending on hydration, diet, and where you are in your menstrual cycle. Arousal fluid may also range from completely clear to slightly white, and the amount varies widely between individuals and even between different sexual encounters.
Fluid that is yellow-green, has a strong unpleasant odor, or appears chunky or cottage cheese-like isn’t ejaculate or arousal fluid. Those are signs of a vaginal infection and worth getting checked out. But the normal range for sexual fluids is broad, and most variations in color, consistency, and volume are nothing to worry about.