Squirting is the involuntary release of fluid from the urethra during sexual arousal or orgasm. It’s a normal physiological response that roughly 40 to 60 percent of women experience at some point, and it doesn’t signal anything wrong. The topic has been clouded by both pornographic exaggeration and lingering medical debate, but research over the past decade has clarified what’s actually happening in the body.
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 they’re two distinct events with different origins. Squirting involves a larger volume of thin, clear fluid, typically 10 milliliters or more, released from the bladder through the urethra. Female ejaculation, by contrast, produces just a few milliliters of thicker, milky fluid from small glands on either side of the urethral opening called the Skene’s glands.
These two things can happen at the same time, which is part of why they get lumped together. But the fluid sources and mechanisms are entirely separate. In practice, what most people call “squirting” during sex is the larger-volume release, sometimes mixed with a small contribution from those glands.
What the Fluid Actually Is
The short answer: squirting fluid comes primarily from the bladder and is chemically similar to very dilute urine. It contains urea and creatinine, the same waste products found in urine, though often at lower concentrations. A 2015 ultrasound study confirmed this directly. Researchers scanned women’s bladders before arousal (empty), during arousal (noticeably filling), and immediately after squirting (empty again). The bladder filled rapidly during sexual stimulation and emptied when squirting occurred.
That said, the fluid isn’t simply urine. Biochemical analysis consistently finds that squirting fluid also contains prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, a protein produced by the Skene’s glands. These glands develop from the same embryonic tissue as the male prostate, which is why they’re sometimes called the “female prostate.” So the fluid is best understood as a bladder-derived liquid with a small but measurable contribution from those glands. This may also explain why many women report that the fluid doesn’t look, smell, or feel like urine to them.
What Triggers It
Squirting is most commonly associated with stimulation of the front vaginal wall, the area sometimes called the G-spot. This region sits right against the urethra and Skene’s glands, so pressure there can stimulate both structures simultaneously. Clitoral stimulation, or a combination of clitoral and vaginal stimulation, can also trigger it.
Pelvic floor muscles play a role too. Research shows that stronger pelvic floor contractions are correlated with more intense orgasms and greater arousal response. The rhythmic contractions of these muscles during sexual arousal and orgasm can contribute to the expulsion of fluid. Some women find that bearing down or relaxing those muscles (rather than tensing) makes squirting more likely, while others experience it completely involuntarily with no sense of control over it.
How Common It Is
More common than most people assume. A large Swedish study found that 58 percent of women had experienced ejaculation or squirting at least once. A U.S.-based study put the number at 41 percent, and studies from Canada and Egypt have found similar rates. The variation likely reflects differences in how the question is asked and whether women recognize or report the experience.
Women with non-heterosexual orientations reported slightly higher rates (63 percent versus 52 percent), possibly reflecting differences in the types of stimulation involved in sexual activity or greater familiarity with their own arousal patterns.
It Doesn’t Always Happen With Orgasm
A common assumption is that squirting equals an especially intense orgasm. That’s not always the case. About 61 percent of women who squirt report that it happens close to or simultaneously with orgasm. But roughly 19 percent say it’s never or rarely connected to orgasm at all, and a small percentage experience it distinctly before or after climax. Squirting and orgasm are independent events that often overlap but don’t require each other.
Women who do experience squirting alongside orgasm are more likely to describe it as a positive sensation (83 percent rated it positively, compared to 67 percent of those whose squirting wasn’t tied to orgasm). The sensation itself varies widely. Some women describe a feeling of release or pressure relief. Others barely notice the fluid and only realize it happened afterward.
Why It Can Feel Confusing or Embarrassing
Because the fluid exits through the urethra and shares some chemical overlap with urine, many women worry they’ve urinated during sex. This concern is understandable but largely misplaced. The rapid bladder filling that occurs during arousal appears to be a distinct physiological process, not the same as normal urine production. The fluid is typically more dilute than regular urine and often contains those glandular secretions that urine does not.
Some women hold back during sex because they feel the urge to release fluid and fear it’s urination. Others feel self-conscious after it happens. Knowing that this is a well-documented, involuntary response that a large percentage of women experience can help reframe it. There’s nothing medically abnormal about squirting, and it doesn’t indicate a bladder control problem. If fluid release during sex is accompanied by other urinary symptoms like leakage during exercise, coughing, or daily life, that’s a separate issue worth looking into. But squirting on its own, during arousal or orgasm, is a normal variation in sexual response.