What Is Squirting: Female Ejaculation or Just Pee?
Squirting, or the involuntary emission of fluid during sex, has been a widely debated subject among sexual wellness professionals for many years. While many people believe that it is a real experience, others maintain that squirting is just a perpetuated myth – one rarely seen or discussed outside the world of pornography. There have not been many studies dedicated to female ejaculation and squirting. Part of the reason is because, in the past, researchers used the two terms interchangeably and did not recognize them as separate phenomena. The lack of conclusive data, along with limited education regarding the female orgasm vs squirting and other sexual fluids, has lead to many unanswered questions.
As clinical trials and research into female sexual fluids have grown over the years, experts have discovered major differences between ejaculation and squirting. Being able to distinguish between the two terms not only enables us to gain a deeper understanding of female pleasure, but also allows us to debunk some of the sexual myths that we might have believed in the past.
Understanding the differences between female ejaculation and squirting
Female ejaculation and squirting both are expelled from the urethra, but they originate from two distinct parts of the female urinary system. The composition of the sexual fluids is different, as well. Female ejaculate is liquid that comes from a pair of duct-like structures that sit beneath the urethra, called the Skene’s glands. Embryologically, the female Skene’s glands and male prostate develop from the exact same tissues. This means that, although they are nowhere near identical organs, their functions do have some overlap. In fact, when viewed under a microscope, the Skene’s glands have been found to contain a prostate-specific antigen (PSA). With these similarities explained, it should come as no surprise to hear that many people also refer to the Skene’s glands as the female prostate.
Every woman’s body is unique, but female ejaculation typically yields just a few drops of liquid. It often is described as white or milky in color with a thicker, slightly sticky texture. The composition of this female sexual fluid, which contains things like PSA and high levels of glucose and fructose, is comparable to male ejaculate – minus the sperm, of course.
The sexual fluid that is released while squirting begins in the bladder. It is usually larger in volume, clear and odorless. As experts have learned through studying the mechanics behind a female orgasm vs a squirt, squirting can occur with or without orgasm. It can also happen with or without the release of female ejaculate.
As reported in The Journal of Sexual Medicine from a small study in 2014, the chemical composition of squirted fluid also contains PSA. This proves that there is some contribution from the Skene’s gland. Additionally, the liquid contains urea, uric acid and creatinine, which also are found in urine. This chemical composition paired with the high volume of liquid released from the bladder raises, quite possibly, the number one question about squirting fluid: Is it just pee?
Is “squirting fluid” just another term for urine?
There are a few recent trials that have been conducted in an attempt to determine whether or not squirting is just extra pee that comes from the bladder. During the previously mentioned small study that proved the existence of PSA in squirting fluid, ultrasounds were taken on the bladders of seven women before and after sex. The pre-coital images showed the presence of urine in the bladder, while the ultrasounds taken after squirting did not. However, while this almost seemed to prove that squirting fluid is, in fact, pee, further examination of the liquid proved otherwise. Experts found that it was largely made up of water and, therefore, very dilute with much lower levels of urea than found in typical urine.
A second study, conducted in 2022 and highlighted in the International Journal of Urology, ended in a similar conclusion. In this particular trial, indigo carmine, a solution that turns the urine blue in color, was inserted into the bladders of participating females before the act of sex or any emission of fluids could take place. It was reported that, after examining the squirted liquid from each of the women, the blue color came out with the squirt every time.
The takeaway of it all
There is still a considerable amount of information to uncover regarding female sexual health and pleasure. While there are still many unknowns about squirting, recent scientific studies have begun to answer some of the more pressing questions behind the experience. We have learned squirting fluid and female ejaculate are not the same, in that they originate in different parts of the body and have entirely different compositions. We also have learned that, in short, squirting is not pee. It does come from the bladder, but it also comes from the Skene’s glands. It is distinctly different from pee in that it is more dilute and does not have the same concentration.
Squirting is something that some women do, while others do not. It can happen regularly or on occasion, but at the end of the day, it is a perfectly normal female bodily function. Though scientific evidence is limited, there are many resources on the market that can help individuals and couples explore squirting with more of a hands-on approach. By reading tutorials, visiting a sex therapist or simply doing some self-discovery with one or more of the safe, yet pleasurable, products offered by HERCARESS, we might come a few steps closer to solving some of the mysteries behind female sexual pleasure and squirting. There is, after all, much more education and discourse around the topic today than in the past, Squirting is a common enough experience to be recognized as independent from female ejaculation, and as professionals from the sexual wellness world are making strides to define and destigmatize female sexual fluids, women should feel more comfortable, and confident, in exploring its unlimited potential.