Squirting is a colloquial term for a specific type of gushing ejaculatory response that some vagina owners can have during sex. Unfortunately, there’s been so little thorough research done on this relatively common sexual occurrence, so even the most basic questions about squirting don’t have clear-cut answers. For example: Can everyone do it? Here’s what we know. But some sex experts believe all people with vaginas can likely learn how to squirt with the right technique and under the right conditions. There are two separate types of ejaculate released by vagina owners, and one of them—the type most commonly described as “squirting”—may be something most vagina owners can do, according to Zhana Vrangalova, Ph.D., a sex researcher and professor at New York University. This type of ejaculate is thought to originate from the bladder2, and the clear and odorless fluid that’s released comes out through the urethra in relatively large quantities. Because all women have a bladder and urethra, Vrangalova says it’s likely that most women can learn how to squirt this type of fluid with the right stimulation. “My best educated guess as a psychologist and a scientist, someone who’s been looking through this data, is that probably the vast majority of vagina owners can be made to expel that type of ejaculate, the one that comes through the urethra, provided the right kind of pressure, the right time physiologically,” she says. But the jury is still out: “We don’t know, but no study has ever found that most people with vaginas squirt large amounts of fluid,” says Debby Herbenick, Ph.D., a sex researcher, professor at the Indiana University School of Public Health, and author of The Coregasm Workout. “But who knows? It’s an area ripe for research.” One 2013 study surveyed 230 women who’ve experienced squirting to ask how often it happened: Sometimes referred to as the “female prostate3,” Skene glands are located in the area around the urethra, known as the urethral sponge. The ejaculate from Skene glands is a white, milky fluid that has chemical similarities to semen. This second type of ejaculate is released in much smaller quantities, Vrangalova notes, because Skene glands are quite tiny compared to the bladder, which can hold and release quite a lot of liquid. If this smaller, milkier “female ejaculation” happens without the gushing fluid from the bladder, it’s possible that some women may not even notice it. Skene glands are also still a bit of a mystery themselves: “There have been a couple of these anatomical studies on cadavers that have dissected that area trying to find Skene glands, and they can’t really find them in everyone!” Vrangalova explains. “So it’s possible that maybe 30 or 40% of vulva owners and vagina owners don’t even have them.” If not all vagina owners have Skene glands, then it’s possible that those without these glands aren’t able to experience this form of ejaculation. To make things even more complicated, Vrangalova notes that even among people who do have Skene glands, there are differences in the anatomical structure from person to person. But without controls and schematic recordkeeping, she notes that these anecdotal reports can’t be considered conclusive evidence that all women can squirt. There’s one study from 19844 in which researchers had 27 women come into a clinic to try to squirt for the first time. “They’d ask them if they’d ever squirted before, and if they said no, they asked them, would you like to be part of this study where we try to get you to squirt?” Vrangalova explains. “So what they had was four different sessions, lasting up to an hour each, where the researcher tried to get these women to squirt. Only about a third of them managed to squirt after four sessions.” Some 37% of women were able to squirt from the experiment; 67% couldn’t. But because of the small sample size in the study, these numbers really can’t be generalized to the broader population. (And notably, it’s presumably a lot harder to have a squirting orgasm when you’re in a lab setting being touched by a random scientist than it is when you’re in the comfort of your own home with a partner who really turns you on.) We do know that all women have bladders and urethras, two of the body parts involved in producing the gushing squirting effect, which suggests that it’s something any woman can learn to do in theory. “Is this a worthy goal to work toward? You know, I don’t know,” Vrangalova notes. “I’ve been hearing a lot of people getting kind of fixated on achieving this goal, and I don’t necessarily think that you need to have that in order to have a fulfilling sexual life in any way, shape, or form.” If you’re interested in squirting, give it a go! If it doesn’t happen, no biggie. Lots of people have very good sex and lots of orgasms without ever squirting, and there are endless other fun things to try. With her warm, playful approach to coaching and facilitation, Kelly creates refreshingly candid spaces for processing and healing challenges around dating, sexuality, identity, body image, and relationships. She’s particularly enthusiastic about helping softhearted women get re-energized around the dating experience and find joy in the process of connecting with others. She believes relationships should be easy—and that, with room for self-reflection and the right toolkit, they can be. You can stay in the loop about her latest programs, gatherings, and other projects through her newsletter: kellygonsalves.com/newsletter
