Squirting refers to the expulsion of fluid from the urethra during sexual arousal or orgasm. It’s a real physiological response that researchers estimate around 40 to 58 percent of women have experienced at least one time. Despite its prevalence, squirting has been poorly understood until recently, and science now distinguishes it from a related but separate phenomenon called female ejaculation.
Squirting vs. Female Ejaculation
Most people use “squirting” and “female ejaculation” interchangeably, but researchers now treat them as two distinct events that can happen separately or at the same time.
Squirting is the release of a relatively large volume of clear, watery fluid, typically 10 milliliters or more. This fluid exits through the urethra and originates primarily from the bladder. Its chemical makeup closely resembles very dilute urine: it contains urea, creatinine, and uric acid at concentrations similar to what you’d find in a urine sample.
Female ejaculation, by contrast, involves a much smaller amount of thick, milky fluid, just a few milliliters. This fluid comes from the Skene’s glands, two tiny structures about the size of a small blueberry located on either side of the urethral opening. These glands develop from the same embryonic tissue as the male prostate, which is why they’re sometimes called the “female prostate.” The fluid they produce contains high concentrations of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the same marker associated with the male prostate.
In practice, many women who squirt are releasing a mix of both fluids. A 2015 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that PSA, the marker of Skene’s gland secretions, showed up in the squirted fluid of five out of seven participants, even though the bulk of the volume came from the bladder.
Where the Fluid Comes From
Imaging studies have settled most of the debate about the source. In one study, researchers inserted a catheter to fully empty participants’ bladders before sexual stimulation began, then filled the bladder with a blue dye solution. When the participants squirted, the expelled fluid was blue in every case, confirming the bladder as the primary source.
Ultrasound monitoring tells the same story from a different angle. Scans taken before arousal show an empty bladder. During stimulation, the bladder rapidly fills. After squirting, it’s empty again. This rapid filling and release cycle happens much faster than normal urine production, which suggests the kidneys accelerate fluid output during high arousal, though the exact mechanism isn’t fully mapped out.
The Skene’s glands contribute a smaller but chemically distinct component. These glands swell during sexual stimulation and secrete fluid that lubricates the urethral opening. In some women, they produce enough secretion during orgasm to be noticeable on its own, even without the larger bladder-origin fluid.
What It Feels Like
Women commonly describe a sensation similar to needing to urinate right before squirting occurs. This makes anatomical sense, since the fluid passes through the same channel. Many women report a warm, rising pressure in the lower abdomen and pelvis that builds during stimulation, particularly during penetration that targets the front vaginal wall (the area sometimes called the G-spot).
The experience varies widely. Some women describe it as an overwhelming wave of sensation accompanied by shaking or shuddering. Others find it subtle. One participant in a qualitative study described vaginal orgasm combined with squirting as a “warm rising sensation from the lower abdomen” with “rising tension from the pelvis.” Another noted that squirting accompanied roughly one in ten of her orgasms and felt “enormously overwhelming.”
The pressure-to-urinate feeling leads many women to tense up or hold back, which can actually prevent the release. This is one reason squirting happens inconsistently for most people who experience it.
How Common It Is
Squirting is far more common than its reputation suggests. A 2024 Swedish study of 1,568 women aged 18 to 69 found that 58 percent had experienced ejaculation or squirting at least once, with another 6 percent unsure. A separate U.S. study placed the number at 41 percent, and studies from Canada and Egypt have produced similar figures.
The Swedish study also found that women with non-heterosexual orientations reported higher rates (63 percent) compared to heterosexual women (52 percent). This likely reflects differences in sexual practices and comfort with exploration rather than any biological difference.
Why the “Is It Urine?” Question Matters Less Than You Think
The short answer is that squirting fluid is chemically similar to very dilute urine, because it comes from the bladder and passes through the urethra. It’s not identical to the urine your body produces normally. It’s generated rapidly during arousal, is typically more dilute, and in most women contains traces of prostatic secretions from the Skene’s glands that regular urine does not.
For many women, the stigma around this question causes unnecessary anxiety. Worrying about whether the fluid “counts” as urine can create self-consciousness that interferes with arousal and pleasure. The physiological reality is straightforward: sexual stimulation triggers rapid bladder filling, and orgasmic contractions push that fluid out. It’s an involuntary reflex, not a loss of bladder control, and it’s a normal variation in sexual response that roughly half of women experience.