I posted 20 different pieces of content on my social media last month, two on the topic of squirting. The engagement metrics show they were the top 2 posts based on the number of views, likes, and comments.
Squirting utterly fascinates and confuses people. That combination makes it interesting, no wonder people love engaging with it on social media!
This is not surprising. Squirting is a really complex topic that hasn’t been researched that much (to be fair, parts of it are really hard to research), and until recently even academics writing about this topic often got things completely wrong.
As a result, there is a huge amount of misinformation about what squirting is, where it comes from, what it consists of, how it feels, etc. Even many sex educators, while attempting to destigmatize squirting, disseminate inaccurate information about this phenomenon, further fueling confusion and divisions.
This is why I put together a PDF Guide on the Scientific Secrets of Squirting, including a FREE version with 7 secrets, and a paid version with all 20 secrets. If this is a topic of interest (and confusion), I highly recommend you check out at least the free version.
For today’s edition of Sex Science Saturdays, I’ll answer one of the most common questions I get about squirting: What is squirting and where does it come from?
What’s Squirting and Is It the Same as Female Ejaculation?
First things first, let’s clearly define the phenomena we’re talking about.
Part of the confusion and misinformation on this topic comes from the fact that the terms “squirting” and “female ejaculation” are often used interchangeably, as if they are the same thing, when in fact they are two distinct phenomena!
Both squirting and female ejaculation refer to the expulsion of fluid from the urogenital tract of folks with vulvas and vaginas during sexual arousal or orgasm.
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That said, these are two different physiological processes involving two different body parts and two different types of fluid:
Female Ejaculate
The female ejaculate (FE) is a small amount of white milky fluid (about a teaspoon) that comes from the Skene’s glands (also called paraurethral glands), the female equivalent to the male prostate.
Unlike the male prostate which surrounds the urethra as a single gland, the Skene’s glands are multiple little glands embedded in the urethral wall of folks with vaginas, but the fluids they produce are similar. Both the prostate fluid and the female ejaculate contain:
- High levels of prostate specific compounds, including prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic specific acid phosphatase (PSAP);
- High levels of glucose and fructose (neither of which are found in healthy urine); and
- Virtually no urea, uric acid, or creatinine (all of which are found in urine).
In other words, the female ejaculate is completely different from urine.
Gushing Squirt
The gushing squirt is a relatively clear and far more voluminous fluid (ranging in quantity from about a tablespoon all the way up to 2+ soda cans!) that comes through the bladder.
Like urine, the squirt originates in the kidneys, passes through the bladder, and then gets expelled out of the body through the urethra. Unlike urine, the squirt seems to get filtered through the kidneys very quickly during sexual excitation, filling up even a completely empty bladder within minutes. And also unlike urine, it gets expelled out of the body after having spent a very short amount of time inside the bladder.
We can’t directly measure the chemical composition of the liquid that gets filtered through the kidneys as a person is getting ready to squirt, but we can measure the gushing squirt that comes out of the urethra after passing through the bladder. Thanks to the valiant effort of several research teams and about two dozen brave volunteer squirters we now know that the chemical composition of this gushing squirt can vary greatly, ranging from basically urine to somewhat diluted urine to super diluted urine with only traces of urine-specific compounds, such as urea, uric acid, and creatinine (Inoue et al., 2022; Salama et al., 2015; Schubach, 2001; for a review see Pastor & Chmel, 2018; 2022). Like healthy urine (and unlike the Skene’s glands fluid), the gushing squirt does not contain much glucose or fructose.
What does the amount of urine in the gushing squirt depend on? Factors like when the person last peed, how much liquid they consumed beforehand, their levels of physical activity, metabolic condition, hormonal activity, and overall health condition.
A Mix of Squirt and Female Ejaculate
As if this wasn’t already complicated enough, sometimes the female ejaculate gets mixed up with the gushing squirt and they come out of the body together at the same time. How is this possible? To understand this, we’ll have to venture into a bit of some murky female anatomy.
The Skene’s glands are still a bit of a scientific mystery. Not only do we not know exactly what purpose they (and the ejaculate they produce) serve, but anatomical studies suggest that only about 50-85% of all female bodies may have them to begin with (Dietrich et al., 2011; Dwyer, 2012; Wimpissinger et al., 2009).
Moreover, they can come in a lot of different sizes, shapes, and positionings along the urethral wall. They can also expel their fluid via two types of ducts. It turns out that in some folks the Skene’s glands have their own separate ducts that lead outside the body, so when they ejaculate, the fluid comes out of those external ducts (if a vulva has these, you can find them on either side of the urethral opening). In other people, the Skene’s glands don’t exit the body directly and instead drain into the urethra internally, so their fluid gets ejaculated through the urethra, usually when the gushing squirt comes out.
This is why many of the samples of gushing squirt analyzed in these chemical composition studies also test positive for prostate-specific compounds that would not be otherwise found in urine. For example, the gushing squirt of 57% of participants in one study (Salama et al., 2015) and 80% of participants in another study (Inoue et al., 2022) tested positive for PSA (prostate-specific antigen). Another study didn’t test the chemical composition of the fluid that came out of the catheter attached to the urethra of their squirter participants, but noted that 57% of them “excreted some milky-white, mucous-like” fluid from outside the catheter (Schubach, 2001).
So the gushing squirt doesn’t all come from Skene’s glands?!
In an effort to destigmatize squirting as different from urine, many sex educators and journalists will tell you that the entire squirting liquid comes from the Skene’s glands.
It does NOT. It CANNOT.
The Skene’s glands are tiny, about 5-10 times smaller than the male prostate gland, and there is no physically possible way they could produce that much liquid. There is no other anatomical structure in the human body that can create/filter that much liquid that quickly other than the kidneys, and no other structure that can contain that much liquid other than the bladder.
How Do We Know the Gushing Squirt Comes from the Bladder?
Because there are now three credible, peer-reviewed published scientific studies that have confirmed this beyond any reasonable doubt.
In the first study, U.S. researchers inserted catheters into the urethras of seven squirters prior to squirting and captured the liquid that came out during squirting. Even though their bladders had been completely emptied before they started sexual stimulation, all women expelled from 50 ml to 900 ml of fluid through the tube into the catheter bag, leading the researchers to conclude that almost all the fluid unquestionably came from their bladders (Schubach, 2001).
Then in 2015, a French study with another seven squirters and a unique and fairly elaborate setup hit the news (Salama et al, 2015). The volunteers were first asked to pee, then have an ultrasound of their bladders, then self-stimulate until they were close to squirting, then pause for another bladder ultrasound, then continue stimulation until they squirted, then get a final bladder ultrasound, then finally pee again. The ultrasound data clearly showed the bladders of all seven women completely empty right after they peed pre-sexual stimulation (1st ultrasound), the bladders were then quite full right before they squirted (2nd ultrasound), and were then empty again right after they squirted (3rd ultrasound). On a side note, kudos to those dedicated volunteers for the hard work they did for science!
Most recently, a Japanese research group used the catheter method again, this time enhancing it by injecting blue dye into their five volunteers’ bladders after they had peed and before they had started sexual stimulation. When the women squirted, all of the liquid that came out of the tube was blue, confirming without a doubt it came from their bladders (Inoue et al., 2022).
Although this research is based on fewer than 20 participants, all bodies are put together in more or less the same way, so barring some miracle new scientific discovery about our most basic anatomy and physiology, I think it’s safe to conclude that the gushing squirt comes from the kidneys, through the bladder, and out the urethra.
Why Do We Care So Much, Anyway?
First let’s summarize what we know so far.
- Squirting and female ejaculation are two different processes, involving two different liquids and two different sets of body parts.
- The female ejaculate is made in the Skene’s glands (the female equivalent to the prostate), and is expelled either directly via the Skene’s glands ducts (in those who have them) or indirectly via the urethra. Similar to the prostate fluid, it contains prostate-specific compounds, and no urine-specific compounds.
- The squirt is made in the kidneys, passes through the bladder, and is expelled out of the urethra. Like urine, it contains some amounts of urine-specific compounds, but their concentration can vary widely from trace amounts to amounts indistinguishable from urine. When the female ejaculate is expelled via the urethra at the same time as the gushing squirt, the gushing squirt also contains prostate-specific compounds (not otherwise found in urine).
- All in all, the female ejaculate is completely different from urine, while the gushing squirt ranges from mostly urine to highly diluted urine (with or without prostate-specific compounds).
I know this is not an entirely satisfying answer. It’s one that people can interpret and use to support whichever view they want to hold about squirting. One person might read this and conclude that “it’s basically urine,” while another might conclude “it’s clearly different from urine.” The truth is, they’re both right to some extent. But ultimately, does it really matter? Should it matter?
A lot of people don’t want the squirt to contain any meaningful amounts of urine because of the stigma against mixing urine and sex. This is why so many sex educators are resistant to acknowledging the reality of what the gushing squirt is.
In my opinion, though, this is the wrong approach. Why don’t we destigmatize squirting by destigmatizing urine play altogether? What’s the big deal with urine anyway?
Urine consists mostly of water, and unless the person is ill or has consumed certain drugs or medications that get secreted out in urine, it’s pretty safe to drink, especially in small quantities. In fact, it can serve as an excellent source of water in situations of dehydration, and many people have been saved by drinking urine.
Furthermore, in many parts of the ancient world, and still today, people have intentionally drunk their own or other people’s urine for its supposed healing properties. Former UFC fighter, Lyoto Machida, was known for drinking his own urine as well as many other athletes, politicians, and celebrities over the decades. Modern science is yet to confirm the healing properties of drinking urine, but it has already confirmed without a doubt that at least one of the compounds in urine, urea, the second most common ingredient after water, possesses antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral characteristics. It’s certainly one of the key ingredients in my ridiculously expensive skincare products.
If the act of squirting is really pleasurable for you or your partner, is it really that bad that a little bit of urine might touch your skin or end up down your throat?
Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to turn everyone into a “watersports” (i.e. urine play) fetishist. Only a small percentage of people are actively turned on by urine play (about 5-10% according to one study of over 1,500 Canadians, Joyal et al., 2015). So, please do only those things you’re comfortable with. But you don’t need to have a urine fetish in order to enjoy the act of squirting. You just need to not care that much.
And if you’re really squeamish about urine and really don’t want it anywhere except the toilet bowl, that’s ok too, then squirting play is not for you and you shouldn’t do it. But I do want to encourage you to at least be open toward the possibilities for pleasure that your own and your partners’ bodies are capable of, and not close the doors on it just because we’re socialized to see its byproduct as dirty.
How do you feel about squirting? Share it in the comments.
Want more accurate, science-supported information on squirting and female ejaculation, complete with tables, graphs, and never before published findings from the largest ever survey of squirters and their partners?
Download my FREE Guide to the Scientific Secrets of Squirting to get access to 7 key secrets, or upgrade the paid version to get access to all 20 secrets.
References
Dietrich, W., Susani, M., Stifter, L., & Haitel, A. (2011). The human female prostate-immunohistochemical study with prostate-specific antigen, prostate-specific alkaline phosphatase, and androgen receptor and 3-D remodeling. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 8(10), 2816–2821.
Dwyer, P. L. (2012). Skene’s gland revisited: function, dysfunction and the G spot. International Urogynecology Journal, 23, 135–137.
Inoue, M., Sekiguchi, Y., Ninomiya, N., Kobayashi, T., & Araki, M. (2022). Enhanced visualization of female squirting. International Journal of Urology, 29, 1368-1370.
Joyal, C. C., Cossette, A., & Lapierre, V. (2014). What Exactly Is an Unusual Sexual Fantasy? J Sex Med, 12, 328–340.
Pastor, Z., & Chmel, R. (2018). Differential diagnostics of female “sexual” fluids: a narrative review. International Urogynecology Journal, 29, 621–629.
Pastor, Z., & Chmel, R. (2022). Female ejaculation and squirting as similar but completely different phenomena: A narrative review of current research. Clinical Anatomy, 35, 616–625.
Salama, S., Boitrelle, F., Gauquelin, A., Malagrida, L., Thiounn, N., & Desvaux, P. (2015). Nature and origin of “squirting” in female sexuality. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 12, 661–666.
Schubach, G. (2001). Urethral expulsions during sensual arousal and bladder catheterization in seven human females. Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality, 4.
Wimpissinger, F., Tscherney, R., & Stackl, W. (2009). Magnetic resonance imaging of female prostate pathology. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 6, 1704–1711.
