If you used to squirt and now you can’t, something has likely shifted in your body, your mental state, or both. This is a common experience, and it rarely signals a medical problem. The fluid involved in squirting comes from small glands near the urethra, and their output depends on a surprisingly wide range of factors: hormones, arousal levels, medications, stress, and even hydration. Understanding which factor changed for you is the key to figuring out what’s going on.
Where Squirting Fluid Comes From
Squirting involves the Skene’s glands, two small structures located on either side of the urethra. During sexual arousal, blood flow to the area increases and these glands swell. In some people, they release a milk-like fluid during orgasm that contains proteins similar to those found in male ejaculate. The glands function differently from person to person, which is why not everyone squirts and why the experience can vary so much over time, even in the same person.
Because squirting depends on the Skene’s glands responding to arousal, anything that reduces blood flow to the pelvic area, lowers arousal intensity, or changes glandular function can affect the response. Think of it less like a switch and more like a chain of events that all need to line up.
Hormonal Changes Are the Most Common Cause
Hormones play a major role in how your pelvic tissues function. Estrogen, in particular, keeps the tissues around the urethra and Skene’s glands plump, well-supplied with blood, and responsive. When estrogen drops, those tissues can become thinner and less engorged during arousal, which reduces the glands’ ability to produce and release fluid.
Several life stages cause significant estrogen shifts:
- Perimenopause and menopause: The most dramatic and sustained drop in estrogen. Tissue changes in the vulva and vaginal area are well-documented during this transition, and the Skene’s glands are no exception. Research on these glands shows that aging brings structural changes to the glandular tissue, including cell atrophy, though the glands don’t necessarily stop functioning entirely.
- Postpartum and breastfeeding: Estrogen stays suppressed while you’re nursing, which can dry out pelvic tissues and reduce the engorgement that drives squirting.
- Hormonal birth control: Some contraceptives lower circulating estrogen or alter hormonal balance enough to affect lubrication and glandular secretion. If squirting stopped around the time you started or switched a birth control method, that’s worth noting.
- Menstrual cycle fluctuations: You may find squirting easier at certain points in your cycle when estrogen peaks, and harder during the luteal phase when progesterone dominates.
Stress and Anxiety Shut Down the Response
Squirting requires deep physical relaxation and high arousal, both of which are controlled by your parasympathetic nervous system. Anxiety works against this directly. When you’re stressed or anxious, your body shifts into a sympathetic “alert” state that diverts blood away from your pelvic area and toward your muscles and brain.
Sex-related anxiety is particularly disruptive. Research on anxiety and female arousal shows that when someone is preoccupied with fears or expectations during sex, they struggle to fully engage with arousing stimuli. Your attention gets pulled toward monitoring your own body (a pattern psychologists call “spectatoring”) rather than experiencing sensation. If you’re lying there thinking “why isn’t this happening?” or feeling pressure to perform, that mental loop is actively preventing the physical response you’re hoping for.
This doesn’t have to be full-blown anxiety disorder territory. General life stress, relationship tension, body image concerns, or even just being tired can create enough mental noise to keep your nervous system from reaching the relaxation threshold squirting requires. Many people notice that squirting came easily when they were in a new, exciting relationship or during a particularly relaxed period of life, and became harder when stress levels rose.
Medications That Interfere
Several common medications can reduce your ability to squirt by affecting arousal, orgasm, or fluid production.
Antidepressants are the biggest culprit. About 42% of women taking SSRIs report difficulty reaching orgasm, and medications that strongly affect serotonin (like sertraline, citalopram, and venlafaxine) carry the highest rates of sexual side effects. Since squirting is closely tied to orgasm intensity and pelvic muscle contractions, anything that dulls orgasm will make squirting less likely. If your ability to squirt disappeared around the time you started an antidepressant, the connection is probably not coincidental.
Antihistamines dry out mucous membranes throughout your body, including the tissue around the Skene’s glands. If you take allergy medications regularly, this could reduce fluid production. Decongestants, some blood pressure medications, and hormonal treatments can have similar drying effects.
Changes in Stimulation and Arousal
Sometimes the answer is simpler than a medical cause: the type of stimulation that used to get you there has changed or isn’t happening the same way anymore. Squirting typically requires sustained, firm stimulation of the front vaginal wall (the area commonly called the G-spot), which activates the entire network of internal clitoral tissue, urethral sponge, and Skene’s glands together.
Research on vaginal stimulation confirms that penetration engages the deep roots of the clitoris in a way that external stimulation alone does not. When the whole complex of tissue is involved, the Skene’s glands are more likely to fill and release. If your sexual routine has shifted toward less internal stimulation, quicker sessions, or positions that don’t apply the same pressure, that change alone could explain the difference. Studies have noted that a vibrator can help in cases where ejaculation is otherwise difficult to trigger, suggesting that intensity of stimulation matters.
Arousal level matters just as much as technique. Squirting generally happens at the peak of a long, building arousal curve. If foreplay has shortened over time, if you’re less mentally engaged, or if you’re rushing toward orgasm, you may be reaching climax without the glands being fully engorged. Spending more time in the arousal phase before any direct stimulation can make a real difference.
Hydration and Pelvic Floor Tone
Two factors that often get overlooked are how much water you’re drinking and the condition of your pelvic floor muscles. The fluid released during squirting is partially produced by the Skene’s glands and partially originates from the bladder. Being dehydrated reduces the volume of fluid available, which can make the difference between a noticeable gush and nothing at all.
Your pelvic floor muscles also play a role in the release mechanism. These muscles contract during orgasm and help expel fluid. If they’ve weakened (after childbirth, from prolonged sitting, or simply from aging) or if they’re overly tight from chronic tension, the expulsion part of the process may not work the same way. Pelvic floor physical therapy can address both weakness and excessive tightness, and many people find it restores sexual function they thought was permanently lost.
What You Can Try
Start by identifying what changed around the time squirting stopped. A new medication, a stressful period, a shift in your relationship, a hormonal transition: the timing often points to the cause. From there, practical steps depend on the factor involved.
For arousal and technique, prioritize longer sessions with more buildup. Experiment with firm, rhythmic internal stimulation using fingers or a curved toy designed for G-spot pressure. Stay hydrated beforehand. Focus on sensation rather than outcome, because the mental shift from “trying to squirt” to “enjoying what feels good” often makes the difference on its own.
For medication-related changes, talk to your prescriber about alternatives. Certain antidepressants with different mechanisms carry significantly lower rates of sexual side effects. Switching is not always possible, but it’s worth discussing.
For hormonal shifts, localized estrogen treatments can restore tissue thickness and blood flow to the vulvar area without the systemic effects of full hormone therapy. This is particularly relevant during menopause or prolonged breastfeeding.
For stress and anxiety, the work happens outside the bedroom as much as in it. Reducing the pressure you put on yourself around this specific response is genuinely therapeutic. Squirting is more likely to return when you stop chasing it, because the relaxation it requires is incompatible with the vigilance of trying to make it happen.