The fluid released when women squirt is primarily diluted urine mixed with secretions from small glands near the urethra. This might sound like a simple answer, but the biology is more nuanced than most people realize, because “squirting” and “female ejaculation” are actually two different things that often happen at the same time.
Squirting and Ejaculation Are Two Different Events
Scientists distinguish between two types of fluid release during sexual arousal and orgasm. What most people call “squirting” involves a larger volume of clear or slightly cloudy fluid that comes from the bladder. Female ejaculation, by contrast, produces a small amount of thick, milky white fluid from a pair of tiny glands called the Skene’s glands, which sit on either side of the urethral opening.
These two events can happen separately or at the same time, which is part of why the topic has been so confusing for so long. When a large gush of fluid soaks the sheets, that’s squirting. When a small amount of whitish fluid appears at orgasm, that’s ejaculation in the stricter scientific sense. Many women experience both simultaneously, so the squirting fluid ends up containing traces of the ejaculate as well.
What’s Actually in the Fluid
Squirting fluid is mostly water and diluted urine. It passes through the bladder and exits through the urethra, which is why chemical analyses consistently find urea and creatinine, two markers associated with urine. But the fluid is typically more dilute than normal urine, often clear, and largely odorless, which is why many women feel confident it isn’t “just pee.”
The ejaculatory component, the milky white fluid from the Skene’s glands, has a very different makeup. It contains prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the same protein produced by the male prostate. This makes sense because the Skene’s glands develop from the same embryonic tissue as the male prostate. Researchers sometimes call them the “female prostate” for this reason. The fluid from these glands also contains proteins similar to those found in male semen, though obviously without sperm.
So when someone squirts a larger volume of fluid, what comes out is a mixture: mostly diluted bladder contents, combined with prostatic secretions from the Skene’s glands. The ratio varies from person to person and even from one experience to the next.
Where the Fluid Comes From
The Skene’s glands are two small structures located at the lower end of the urethra, on the left and right side of the urethral opening. They’re very difficult to see with the naked eye. During sexual arousal, increased blood flow to the area causes these glands to swell, and they can release their milky secretion during orgasm.
The bladder plays a role in squirting specifically. Ultrasound studies have shown that the bladder fills rapidly during arousal, even in women who emptied their bladder right before. During orgasm or intense stimulation, contractions of the pelvic muscles push this fluid out through the urethra. This is why squirting can produce a volume comparable to a glass of water, far more than the Skene’s glands alone could account for.
How Much Fluid Is Normal
The volume varies enormously. True female ejaculation (the Skene’s gland secretion) produces only a small amount, sometimes so little it goes unnoticed. Squirting, on the other hand, can range from a modest trickle to enough fluid that it looks like someone wet the bed. A French gynecological study that recruited women who reported large-volume squirting found volumes comparable to a glass of water in some participants.
There’s no “normal” amount. Some women produce barely any noticeable fluid, while others soak through towels. Neither end of that spectrum indicates a problem.
How Common Squirting Is
Estimates vary wildly depending on how the question is asked. In one population-based survey, 54% of 233 women reported a spurt of fluid at orgasm. A large mail survey found that about 40% of respondents identified as ejaculators. On the other end, one study put the number at less than 5%. The wide range reflects differences in how researchers define ejaculation versus squirting, how aware women are of small amounts of fluid, and how comfortable they feel reporting it.
What’s clear is that it’s a common physiological response, not a rare anomaly. The Skene’s glands vary in size from person to person, which likely explains why some women produce noticeable fluid and others don’t. Women with larger or more developed Skene’s glands may be more likely to experience visible ejaculation.
Why It’s Not Simply Urine
The “is it pee?” question comes up constantly, and the honest answer is: it’s complicated. The fluid does pass through the bladder and urethra, and it contains some of the same chemical markers found in urine. But calling it urine misses important context. The fluid is significantly more dilute than typical urine, it contains prostatic secretions that urine does not, and the mechanism that produces it (rapid bladder filling during arousal followed by expulsion during orgasm) is distinct from normal urination.
Thinking of it as its own category of fluid, one that shares a pathway with urine but has a different trigger and a different composition, is probably the most accurate framing. The bladder is involved, but the process is driven by sexual arousal rather than the kidney’s normal filtering cycle.