If you used to squirt and it stopped happening, something has likely shifted in your body, your routine, or both. Female ejaculation depends on a specific chain of events involving blood flow, glandular tissue, arousal, and stimulation, and a change to any link in that chain can interrupt the whole process. The good news is that most of the common causes are identifiable and often reversible.
How Squirting Works Physically
Squirting originates from the Skene’s glands, two small structures located on either side of the urethra. During sexual arousal, increased blood flow to the area causes the tissue surrounding these glands to swell. The glands then secrete a milk-like fluid that contains proteins similar to those found in male seminal fluid, along with elevated levels of glucose and prostate-specific antigen, making it chemically distinct from urine.
The trigger for release is stimulation of the front vaginal wall, the area sometimes called the G-spot. This isn’t a single button-like structure but rather a sensitive zone along the upper outer third of the vaginal wall, directly above the Skene’s glands and surrounding urethral tissue. Pressure on this area compresses the glands and, combined with sufficient arousal, can produce ejaculation. The entire front vaginal wall, including the deeper tissues behind it, contributes to this sensitivity. Research has found that about 64% of women in one study learned to reach orgasm through direct stimulation of this area.
Hormonal Changes Are the Most Common Cause
Estrogen plays a central role in keeping the tissues around the Skene’s glands plump, well-supplied with blood, and capable of producing fluid. When estrogen drops, those tissues become thinner, drier, and less responsive. Blood flow to the area decreases, which means the Skene’s glands don’t swell as much during arousal and produce less secretion.
The most dramatic estrogen drop happens during perimenopause and menopause, but it’s far from the only cause. Hormonal birth control, particularly certain pills, can suppress estrogen enough to affect tissue thickness and lubrication. Breastfeeding temporarily lowers estrogen as well. Even normal monthly fluctuations can make squirting easier at some points in your cycle and harder at others. If the change in your ability to squirt lines up with starting or switching birth control, entering your late 30s or 40s, or having a baby, hormones are the most likely explanation.
Medications That Reduce Fluid and Arousal
Antidepressants in the SSRI class are well-documented disruptors of sexual response. They don’t just lower desire. They make it harder to become aroused, harder to sustain arousal, and harder to reach orgasm. Some people on SSRIs lose the ability to orgasm entirely. Since squirting depends on reaching a high level of arousal and often accompanies orgasm, these medications can effectively shut down the process even if nothing else has changed.
Antihistamines are another culprit that people rarely suspect. They work by drying out mucous membranes throughout the body, not just in your sinuses. That drying effect extends to vaginal and urethral tissues, reducing the fluid available for ejaculation. If you started taking allergy medication regularly or switched to a daily antihistamine, that could be enough to explain the difference. Decongestants have a similar effect.
Changes in Stimulation and Arousal
Squirting requires a specific type of stimulation. The front vaginal wall responds to firm, sustained pressure, and the angle matters. During penetration, the movements displace and engage the entire clitoral and urethral complex, including the roots of the clitoris that extend internally. External clitoral stimulation activates a different set of structures. This means a change in sexual position, partner, technique, or even the type of toy you use can remove the exact pressure pattern that previously triggered ejaculation.
Arousal level matters just as much as physical technique. Squirting typically happens at a high plateau of arousal, often right at or just before orgasm. Stress, fatigue, relationship tension, feeling rushed, or being distracted can all keep you from reaching that threshold. If your life circumstances have changed, even if the physical stimulation is identical, your body may not be building to the same peak it used to.
There’s also a mental component that’s easy to overlook. Once you notice squirting has stopped, it’s natural to start focusing on whether it will happen, which creates performance pressure. That self-monitoring pulls your attention away from sensation and toward evaluation, which is one of the fastest ways to dampen arousal. The more you try to make it happen, the more elusive it can become.
Pelvic Floor Strength and Tension
Your pelvic floor muscles surround the Skene’s glands and urethra, and their tone directly affects your ability to ejaculate. Weakness in these muscles, which can follow pregnancy, childbirth, surgery, or simply aging, reduces the pressure that helps expel fluid from the glands during orgasm. On the other end of the spectrum, a pelvic floor that’s chronically tight from stress, sitting all day, or overtraining can restrict blood flow to the area and limit the swelling response that the Skene’s glands need.
If you’ve had any kind of pelvic surgery, including a hysterectomy or bladder procedure, the anatomy around the Skene’s glands may have been physically altered. Scar tissue can change how pressure is distributed along the front vaginal wall and reduce sensitivity in that zone.
What You Can Try
Start by identifying what changed around the time squirting stopped. A new medication, a shift in your cycle, a different partner or routine, or a stressful period in your life are all worth examining. If you started an SSRI or hormonal birth control in the relevant timeframe, that’s a strong lead worth discussing with your prescriber, since alternatives with fewer sexual side effects exist for both categories.
For stimulation, focus on the front vaginal wall with firm, rhythmic pressure using a curved toy or fingers angled toward your belly button. The sensitive zone sits roughly two to three inches inside the vaginal opening along the upper wall. Spending more time on foreplay and building arousal before attempting internal stimulation gives the Skene’s glands time to swell and fill with fluid. Rushing to the “right spot” before your body is ready is a common reason the technique that used to work no longer does.
Pelvic floor exercises can help in both directions. If your muscles are weak, strengthening them gives you more control over the contractions involved in ejaculation. If they’re chronically tight, learning to relax them through stretching or working with a pelvic floor physical therapist can restore blood flow and sensation. Many people don’t realize that an overly tense pelvic floor is just as problematic as a weak one.
Hydration also plays a surprisingly direct role. The Skene’s glands need available fluid to produce their secretion. Dehydration, heavy caffeine intake, or alcohol consumption can all reduce the volume of fluid your body has to work with. This won’t be the sole explanation for most people, but it can be a contributing factor, especially combined with other changes.
Skene’s Gland Size Varies Between People
One factor that’s rarely discussed is that Skene’s glands vary significantly in size from person to person. Some people have larger, more active glands that produce noticeable fluid with relative ease. Others have smaller glands that produce less. Over time, hormonal shifts and aging can cause these glands to shrink further. If you were someone whose glands were on the smaller side to begin with, even a modest hormonal change or drop in arousal could be enough to push you below the threshold where ejaculation is noticeable. The fluid may still be produced in small amounts without being visible or felt.