The short answer is: partially, but it’s not simply peeing. The fluid released during squirting contains diluted urine from the bladder, but it also contains secretions from glands near the urethra that produce compounds not found in urine. The confusion is understandable because the science itself was murky for decades, and researchers only recently started distinguishing between two different types of fluid release that often get lumped together.
Squirting and Ejaculation Are Two Different Things
This is the key detail most people miss. Scientists now recognize two separate phenomena that can happen during sexual arousal or orgasm, and they have entirely different origins.
Squirting is the expulsion of roughly 10 milliliters or more of clear, watery fluid through the urethra. This fluid comes from the bladder, and its chemical makeup is similar to very dilute urine. It contains urea and creatinine, both normal urine components, but at significantly lower concentrations than typical urine. One study found urea levels around 417 mg/dL and creatinine around 21 mg/dL in the fluid, consistent with highly diluted urine rather than a standard bladder sample.
Female ejaculation is a much smaller release, just a few milliliters of thick, milky, white or grayish fluid. This fluid doesn’t come from the bladder at all. It originates from the Skene’s glands, small structures located along the vaginal wall near the urethra. These glands are sometimes called the “female prostate” because they share structural and chemical similarities with the male prostate gland.
Both phenomena can happen at the same time, which is one reason they’ve been so difficult to study separately. A person might experience both squirting and ejaculation during a single orgasm, resulting in a mixed fluid that’s neither pure urine nor pure glandular secretion.
What the Skene’s Glands Actually Do
The Skene’s glands sit on the front wall of the vagina, near the clitoris and the external opening of the urethra. They’re made up of glands, ducts, and connective tissue, with their ducts opening directly into the urethra. This is why the fluid they produce exits the body through the same opening as urine, adding to the confusion.
These glands produce prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, the same marker that’s used to screen for prostate issues in men. PSA shows up in female ejaculate but is not a normal component of urine. Its presence is one of the clearest indicators that the fluid isn’t just pee. In males, PSA helps break down proteins in semen to improve sperm movement. Some researchers now hypothesize that PSA in female ejaculate may serve a similar reproductive function, potentially enhancing sperm motility after intercourse.
Why the Bladder Is Involved in Squirting
Squirting specifically involves fluid that fills the bladder during arousal and is then expelled during orgasm or intense stimulation. This is why studies using ultrasound have shown that the bladder fills noticeably during arousal even when a person has recently urinated, and then empties rapidly at the moment of squirting. The fluid passes through the urethra, which is the same path urine takes.
The composition of this fluid is not identical to a regular urine sample, though. It’s substantially more diluted, which suggests the kidneys may be producing fluid at an accelerated rate during arousal, or that the bladder’s contents are mixing with other secretions. The International Society for Sexual Medicine describes squirting fluid as potentially “diluted urine,” acknowledging the overlap while noting it’s not a straightforward case of urinary incontinence.
Why It Feels Different From Peeing
During orgasm, rhythmic contractions pulse through the pelvic floor muscles. Research measuring these contractions found that they occur in synchronized waves through both the vaginal and anal muscles, starting near the perceived beginning of orgasm and continuing in a pattern that builds in force before tapering off. These contractions are involuntary, and they create the physical mechanism that can push fluid out of the urethra, whether that fluid is glandular secretion, bladder contents, or both.
This is fundamentally different from the voluntary relaxation of the urethral sphincter that happens during urination. People who experience squirting often describe a sensation of pressure or release that accompanies orgasm, not the sensation of losing bladder control. The muscular patterns involved are distinct from those used in urination.
What This Means Practically
If you experience squirting, the fluid is a mix: primarily dilute bladder fluid, often combined with small amounts of glandular secretion containing PSA. It’s not the same as urinating during sex, though it shares some chemical components with urine. The two processes involve different triggers, different muscle patterns, and different subjective experiences.
Squirting is also not something every person with a vulva experiences. Research on prevalence is limited, partly because studies have historically conflated squirting with ejaculation, making reliable numbers hard to pin down. Some people experience it regularly, others occasionally, and many never do. None of these patterns indicate a problem.
The concern that squirting is “just peeing” causes real anxiety for many people. The science suggests a more nuanced reality: the bladder is involved, the fluid does contain urine components, but it’s a distinct physiological event tied to sexual arousal and orgasm rather than a loss of bladder control. The glandular component, even if small in volume, confirms that something beyond urination is happening.