Squirting is the expulsion of a relatively large amount of clear fluid from the urethra during sexual arousal or orgasm. It’s a real physiological phenomenon, distinct from vaginal lubrication, and research shows the fluid comes primarily from the bladder. Surveys suggest roughly 40 to 54% of women report experiencing some form of fluid release at orgasm, though the volume and frequency vary widely from person to person.
Squirting and Ejaculation Are Two Different Things
One of the biggest sources of confusion is that “squirting” and “female ejaculation” are often used interchangeably, but they’re actually two separate events with different fluid sources, volumes, and compositions.
Female ejaculation, in the strict sense, refers to a small amount of thick, milky white fluid released at orgasm. This fluid comes from the Skene’s glands, two tiny ducts located on either side of the urethra. These glands develop from the same tissue that becomes the prostate in males, which is why they’re sometimes called the “female prostate.” The fluid they produce contains proteins similar to those found in male semen, including an enzyme called prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The volume is typically just a few milliliters, sometimes so small it goes unnoticed.
Squirting is a much larger release, often 10 milliliters or more, of thin, clear fluid. It can be enough to visibly soak bedding. This fluid originates from the bladder and is chemically similar to dilute urine, though in many women it also contains trace amounts of PSA from the Skene’s glands. Both phenomena can happen at the same time, which is part of why they’ve been conflated for so long. Researchers only began formally distinguishing between them around 2011.
What’s Actually in the Fluid
A widely cited study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine used ultrasound imaging and chemical analysis to track what happens inside the body during squirting. Seven women who regularly experienced large-volume fluid release were asked to empty their bladders, confirmed by ultrasound. During sexual stimulation, their bladders visibly refilled. After squirting, their bladders were empty again. The fluid had clearly come from the bladder.
Chemical analysis of the squirted fluid told a more nuanced story. In two of the seven women, the fluid was chemically indistinguishable from urine. In the other five, the fluid contained small amounts of PSA that hadn’t been present in urine samples taken before arousal. This suggests the Skene’s glands contribute secretions to the fluid as it passes through the urethra, even though the bulk of the volume is bladder-derived. Neurophysiologist Beverly Whipple at Rutgers University has described squirting as “urine diluted with substances from the female prostate.”
So the honest answer is: squirting fluid is mostly a very dilute form of urine, often mixed with a small amount of prostatic secretion. It doesn’t look, smell, or behave exactly like regular urine because the bladder fills rapidly during arousal and the fluid is more diluted than typical urine would be.
The Role of the Skene’s Glands
The Skene’s glands sit at the lower end of the urethra and swell with blood flow during sexual arousal, similar to how erectile tissue works. They secrete fluid that helps with lubrication, and in some women, they produce a mucus-like substance during orgasm. This is the “true” female ejaculate. The glands vary in size from person to person, and some women have more developed glandular tissue than others, which may partly explain why the experience differs so much between individuals.
Because these glands are the female equivalent of the prostate, the milky fluid they produce contains many of the same biochemical markers found in prostatic fluid in men. This is a normal part of female sexual anatomy, not an abnormality.
How Common It Is
Estimates vary depending on how the question is asked and what counts as ejaculation versus squirting. In a survey of 1,172 women, about 40% reported experiencing a spurt of fluid at orgasm. A smaller survey of 233 women put the number at 54%. Among women who do experience it regularly, the frequency ranges widely. In one international survey of over 300 women who self-reported ejaculating, about 32% said it happened a few times a week, 28% a few times a month, and roughly 19% said it occurred daily. About 19% of respondents said they ejaculated during more than 90% of their sexual encounters, while 14% said it happened in fewer than 10%.
These numbers suggest squirting and ejaculation exist on a spectrum. Some women experience it nearly every time, some rarely, and many never do. None of these patterns is abnormal.
Why It Feels Different From Urination
Even though the fluid originates largely from the bladder, the experience of squirting is not the same as urinating. It occurs involuntarily during high arousal or orgasm and is tied to pelvic muscle contractions. Many women describe a sensation of pressure or fullness just before it happens, which can feel similar to the urge to urinate but is triggered by sexual stimulation rather than a full bladder in the usual sense. The bladder fills rapidly during arousal through a mechanism that isn’t fully understood, and the release is part of the orgasmic reflex rather than a voluntary act.
This overlap in sensation is why some women hold back during sex, worrying they’re about to urinate. Understanding that squirting is a recognized physiological response, not a loss of bladder control, can help reduce that anxiety. It is worth noting that a separate condition called orgasmic urinary incontinence does exist, where actual urine is released involuntarily during orgasm. The two can look identical from the outside, but orgasmic incontinence is typically associated with pelvic floor dysfunction and can be treated, while squirting is a normal sexual response.
Four Types of Fluid During Sex
Researchers currently categorize the fluids released during female sexual activity into four groups:
- Vaginal lubrication: a clear fluid produced by the vaginal walls during arousal, present in nearly all women.
- Female ejaculate: a small volume of thick, whitish fluid from the Skene’s glands, rich in PSA.
- Squirting fluid: a larger volume of clear, dilute fluid from the bladder, sometimes containing traces of prostatic secretion.
- Orgasmic urinary incontinence: involuntary urine release during orgasm, associated with pelvic floor issues.
These can occur separately or in combination, and the boundaries between them aren’t always obvious in the moment. The key distinction is that vaginal lubrication and female ejaculate are produced by specific glands, while squirting fluid and incontinence both involve the bladder, though through different mechanisms.