Up until studies conducted in 2017, squirting was considered a myth and it was widely believed that persons who squirted simply passed urine when reaching orgasm. This idea was further supported because most people who squirted reported having felt a sensation very similar to an urge to pass urine right before squirting.
The 2017 studies, in which 69% of participants expelled fluids from the vagina upon reaching orgasm, revealed that the fluids expelled from the vagina during orgasm could be identified as squirting, female orgasm (although not everyone with a vagina identifies as female) and sexual/coital incontinence, all of which involve the expulsion of fluid from the vagina during sexual activity, but contain different substances.
Squirting occurs when fluid is ejaculated from the vagina, usually during orgasm, although some people however, can and do squirt or ejaculate before or after an orgasm, while others can also have multiple spurts of squirting spread over a few minutes. Studies have found that the fluid emitted during squirting does not only contain the components of urine, but also a compound called prostatic-specific antigen produced by the Skene’s glands, also known as the female prostate.
Female ejaculation is a release of milk-like substance from the glands known as skene's glands which are located on either side of the uretha in the vulva upon reaching orgasm. This fluid was not found to be pure urine, but rather a combination of urea, uric acid, and creatinine, giving it a feint smell of urine. Not every vagina has skene's glands and those that do vary from person to person with some people having very small ones, producing a smaller volume of fluid.
Sexual or coital incontinence, on the other hand, occurs when someone loses control of their bladder during sex. The fluid expelled from the vagina in this case is not squirt, but pure urine, which can be expelled at an stage of intercourse, and not only upon reaching orgasm.
Often used interchangeably, squirting and female orgasm are however not the same since a larger volume of fluid is expelled from the vagina during squirting. It is also possible to squirt and experience a female orgasm simultaneously. Approximately 79% of participants in one study and 90% of their partners said that squirting greatly enhanced their sex lives.
Squirting is not always a high volume event that soaks the sheets. Sometimes it is only a small trickle or stream of fluid. While squirting is depicted in porn movies as large gushes of liquid, these are faked by porn producers for dramatic effect. In reality, squirting volumes do vary greatly from person to person and squirting at different volumes is a very normal occurrence during sex for many people.
Researchers do not as yet fully understand what causes squirting since both the frequency (weekly or more frequently) and volume (up to 60 milliliters) of squirting varies among people who squirt, and relies on self-reporting, thereby making further research extremely challenging.
Different people also understand squirting to mean different things, and also experience varying sensations when squirting. Some report more intense orgasms or a change in their orgasm patterns, others report specific sensations such as tingling or an urge to urinate, during vaginal and clitoral stimulation, while still others may not notice when they squirt at all.
One theory about the cause of squirting relates to the ways that bodies develop in the womb. Reproductive anatomy in males and females can be comparable in many ways, for example, the head of the penis and the clitoris are developmentally similar, as is the prostate and skene's glands. As a result thereof, some researchers suggest that squirting originates with a female prostate (skene's glands), with those who endorse this idea believing that squirting may happen when a person stimulates the female prostate. They therefore say that the fluid is prostate fluid, not urine or other fluids of arousal.
If you can or have squirted before, good for you. For those who would like to squirt, here are some tips to help you achieve a mind-blowing orgasm:
1. Squirting when masturbating
You may find it easier to squirt when masturbating, rather than during sex with a partner, because you can focus entirely on your own sensations and adjust accordingly.
• Ensure that your fingers and fingernails are clean and not likely to cause you injury or infection.
• Empty your bladder.
• Relax, uncover your genitals and get comfortable.
• Slowly play with your labia, clitoris and vulva to allow your vagina to lubricate or make use of a water based lubricant. Either way ensure that your vagina is well lubricated to prevent injury.
• Gently insert one or more fingers into your vagina and move them about to locate any area/s on the front vaginal wall that produce a pleasurable sensation, tingling or a mild urge to urinate.
• Stimulate the spot/s you have located and try stimulating the clitoris with your other hand simultaneously until you reach orgasm.
• Just let go, relax and let the orgasm take over even if you feel that you are going to pass urine, don't hold back. (It is a good idea to place a towel or linen saver under you so you do not have to worry about passing urine instead of squirting).
2. Squirting with toys
If you want to use sex toys instead of your fingers, ejaculation can result from a range of techniques:
• Use a vibrator on your clitoris while stimulating the inside front wall of your vagina with a dildo.
• Use a toy that combines a dildo and clitoral vibrator.
• Use a wand with a very high vibrating frequency to stimulate the area of the urethra and clitoris simultaneously.
• Continue until you reach orgasm and just let go, relax and let the orgasm take over even if you feel that you are going to pass urine, don't hold back. (It is a good idea to place a towel or linen saver under you so you do not have to worry about passing urine instead of squirting).
• Toys can be used by yourself or with a partner.
3. Squirting during partnered sex
• Your partner can either make use of sex toys or penetrative sex to bring you to orgasm.
• Get your partner to stimulate the pleasure centre/s on the front wall of your vagina with dildo or his penis while rubbing or using a vibrator on your clitoris or sucking and lacking your clitoris.
• Sex positions in which the front wall of your vagina are properly stimulated include reverse cow girl, doggy style and modified doggy style. As with any sex position, it is crucial to adjust these for both comfort and pleasure.
• Get your partner to try to hold back his own orgasm until after you have orgasmed, or you both orgasm simultaneously when engaging in penetrative sex.
• Continue until you reach orgasm and just let go, relax and let the orgasm take over even if you feel that you are going to pass urine, don't hold back. (It is a good idea to place a towel or linen saver under you so you do not have to worry about passing urine instead of squirting).
It is noteworthy that studies reveal that for people learning to squirt:
• Participants were more likely to squirt when masturbating rather than when having sex with a partner as they found this to place less pressure themselves and also less "embarrassing" if urine were to be passed instead of squirting.
• Participants who elected to use partnered sex to learn to squirt found that open communication, a willingness to experiment, and a focus on pleasure made squirting much easier.
• Squirting usually occurred at orgasm.
• Many participants highlighted the importance of “letting go” and relaxing when reaching orgasm.
• Bearing down on the pelvic muscles when nearing orgasm aided in achieving squirting orgasms.
• Strengthening vaginal muscles with kegel exercises helps to minimize or eliminate sexual/coital incontinence.
• Listening to your body and doing what feels good is highly beneficial. If you are too tense it may be harder to orgasm or squirt.
Always keep in mind that each person's experience with squirting is different. While some methods can make people squirt more than others, there is no single proven method that makes every person with a vagina squirt because every vagina is different and not every vagina has the skene's glands which create the fluid released during ejaculation. Whether you squirt or not does not make you a lesser person or diminish your ability to have a happy and healthy sex life.
