The fluid released during squirting is primarily dilute urine, though it often contains small amounts of secretions from the Skene’s glands, sometimes called the female prostate. This has been a source of confusion and debate for years, but ultrasound imaging and chemical analysis have clarified the picture: squirting and female ejaculation are actually two separate phenomena that can happen at the same time.
Squirting and Ejaculation Are Two Different Things
Research distinguishes between two types of fluid release during sexual activity. Squirting involves a larger volume of fluid expelled through the urethra. Female ejaculation, on the other hand, produces a much smaller quantity of thick, whitish fluid from the Skene’s glands. These glands sit on either side of the urethra and develop from the same embryonic cells that become the prostate in males. The fluid they produce contains proteins similar to those found in semen.
Both phenomena can occur simultaneously, which is why many people experience them as a single event. But they have different sources, different compositions, and different volumes. What most people refer to as “squirting” is the larger-volume release, while true female ejaculation is the smaller, milkier secretion that often goes unnoticed when both happen together.
What Chemical Analysis Shows
A widely cited study used ultrasound scans and biochemical testing to determine exactly what squirting fluid contains. Researchers collected urine samples before arousal, then analyzed the fluid expelled at orgasm. In two of the seven participants, the squirted fluid was chemically indistinguishable from urine. In the other five, the fluid was also similar to urine but contained one key addition: prostate-specific antigen, or PSA. This enzyme was not present in their pre-arousal urine samples.
PSA is produced by the Skene’s glands and is the same biomarker found in large concentrations in male semen, where it’s secreted by the prostate. Its presence in squirted fluid confirms that the Skene’s glands contribute to the process, even though the bulk of the volume comes from the bladder. The fluid is best described as diluted, chemically altered urine mixed with prostatic secretions.
Where the Fluid Comes From
Ultrasound imaging in the same study showed something important about timing. Participants’ bladders were emptied before the experiment began, confirmed by ultrasound. During arousal, the bladder visibly refilled. After squirting, the bladder was empty again. This confirmed the bladder as the primary reservoir for the fluid, though the Skene’s glands add their own secretions along the way.
The Skene’s glands are small structures that secrete fluid during sexual arousal, contributing to lubrication. In some people, these glands produce a mucus-like substance during orgasm that functions similarly to ejaculation. The glands vary considerably in size from person to person, which likely explains why some women produce noticeable ejaculate and others don’t.
How Common Squirting Is
Survey data on prevalence varies widely depending on how the question is asked. 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. Other research has placed the number as low as 5%. Part of this range reflects genuine variation in physiology, but much of it comes down to differences in definitions. Some surveys ask about any fluid release, while others ask specifically about forceful expulsion.
When surveyed about their perceptions, the largest group of respondents (about 31%) estimated that only 10% of women are capable of ejaculation. The actual number is almost certainly higher, but many people may not recognize smaller volumes of fluid release as ejaculation.
Squirting vs. Bladder Leakage
Because squirting originates partly from the bladder, a natural question is whether it’s simply urinary incontinence. Clinically, they are considered distinct. Coital incontinence is an involuntary loss of urine during sex, typically caused by a urethral disorder or overactive bladder muscles. It comes in two forms: one triggered by penetration and one triggered by orgasm. The penetration form is more common and is usually related to stress urinary incontinence.
Squirting, by contrast, is classified as a normal physiological response to sexual stimulation. The key difference is pathological versus non-pathological. Coital incontinence is associated with underlying bladder dysfunction and may require treatment. Squirting occurs in people with normal bladder function as part of sexual arousal and orgasm. The fluid composition overlaps, which is exactly why the distinction matters: experiencing fluid release during sex does not, on its own, indicate a bladder problem.
Why the Fluid Isn’t Identical to Regular Urine
Even though the bladder is the primary source, the expelled fluid isn’t the same as what you’d produce during a normal trip to the bathroom. It’s more dilute, meaning it contains lower concentrations of urea and creatinine than typical urine. The rapid bladder filling during arousal means the fluid hasn’t gone through the same concentration process that urine undergoes when the bladder fills over hours. Combined with PSA and other prostatic secretions that mix in during expulsion through the urethra, the result is a fluid that shares a common origin with urine but differs in its final composition.
This is why researchers describe it as “diluted and changed urine” rather than simply urine. The distinction may seem subtle, but it reflects the fact that sexual arousal creates a unique physiological state where the bladder, urethra, and Skene’s glands all interact in ways that don’t occur outside of that context.