Squirting: Fact of Fiction?

Find out what’s actually cumming out of your vagina in this #TiaTalk

Love fluid.

Passion water.

Moon flower.

These phrases may have you scratching your head, but they all describe the mysterious phenomenon more commonly referred to by that guy in your 10th grade bio class as “squirting.”

In 2018, when the science behind female sexuality remains embarrassingly grim, the existence of squirting is still hotly debated, enough to make you feel:

Not to worry though, I’m here to get to the bottom of what’s actually cumming out of your vagina (no pun intended 😉) in this #TiaTalk.

First & foremost, if you ask real, sexually-active women, you’ll quickly learn that squirting is NOT a myth.

According to a 2013 online survey — the largest data collection on this subject in history! — 78% of women self-reported that their ability to squirt was an “enrichment of their sexual lives.”

That said, it’s not something that happens in every sexual encounter, and is NOT the be-all-end-all of pleasure.

So, what does it feel like?

Like orgasms, squirting comes in many forms. It can accompany an orgasm or ride solo. Some people describe the sensation like:

Others like:

And some folks don’t feel it or experience it at all, while still enjoying F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S sex.

Okay, but what is “it” ?

Here’s where things get murky.

While there’s a general consensus that squirting is a real thing, researchers debate what *exactly* is being squirted:

Is it female ejaculate, diluted pee, or some combination of the two?

Let’s start by breaking down female ejaculate.

Similar to male cum, female ejaculate has a protein called prostate-specific-antigen (“PSA”) in it, and is thick and milky-whitish in color.

Female ejaculate comes from the Skene’s glands (also sometimes referred to as the “female prostate”), located just outside the urethral opening.

Given the proximity of the urethra to the clitoris, it makes sense that the Skene’s glands can feel pressure during sex or masturbation — and that fluids can get mixed together as a result.

In case you need a quick refresher of what goes where, I made you a map!

Is everything else just pee?

Good question. To get to the bottom of this conundrum, the International Society for Sexual Medicine conducted a study in 2015 with seven self-identified “squirters” (yupppp, that’s a noun!).

The researchers had the participants pee before they turned themselves on, and did ultrasounds before and after “squirting” and found that the women had empty bladders before, and that their bladders refilled after.

When they analyzed the fluid the participants’ emitted, the researchers found a “mixed bag” of (predominantly) urine-based fluid.

Though PSA was found in one participant’s sample, many interpreted the predominance of urine to indicate that female ejaculate isn’t a real thing.

When this study was published and got traction in the media, many women were pissed and concerned that this research de-legitimized women’s sexuality.

It was such a 🌶 debate that #NotPee was trending on Twitter!

Let’s recap.

When you get down to it, sex can be wet and messy and most of us are not bringing ultrasounds or microscopes into the bedroom to analyze what comes out of us. What matters is, are you having sex that you enjoy — solo or with a partner?

Not everyone can squirt or even wants to squirt but if you do want to, it might be time to do some fun research of your own!

Try to pee before getting it on (it helps prevent UTIs), lay down a towel, grab your favorite toy, a partner or use your trusty fingers until you’re really feelin’ yourself. And if you feel like you’re going to pee… take a deep breath, relax and just flow with it 💦

And if you don’t, just enjoy the beauty that is pleasure 💥

Confidently yours,

Tia ❤️

—

Tia is a personal, private women’s health advisor you message with about birth control, sexual health, periods and more. Made by a team of women’s health experts, Tia knows you, learns you, and is your go-to for all those “ugh!” , “oops…”, and “huh?” moments. On Tuesdays, we surface the top *anonymous* questions from the community and report back with the answer. Have a burning q you want us to tackle? Leave it in the comments below or email info@asktia.com.