Glossary Sapphic
Squirting
Also called · female ejaculation · gushing
At a glance
- In one line
- Fluid released from the urethra during arousal or orgasm, in volumes from a trickle to a soaking.
- Usually looks like
- Sustained internal pressure on the front wall or heavy clitoral stimulation, a towel down, and no guarantee it happens.
- Gear needed
- None. A towel or a waterproof blanket is the practical kit; a curved toy or a wand is optional.
- Talk about first
- Whether either of you cares if it happens, mess tolerance, and that it will not be treated as a target.
Squirting refers to fluid released from the urethra during arousal or orgasm in some people with vulvas, in volumes ranging from a few drops to a noticeable gush. Laboratory analysis of the fluid indicates it is largely dilute urine, mixed in some cases with secretions from the Skene's glands beside the urethra, which is where the older term female ejaculation comes from.
The two things most worth knowing are that not everyone does it and that it measures nothing: it is not a technique a partner can produce on demand, it does not track the strength of an orgasm, and people who never experience it are not missing a stage of anything. Where it does occur it often follows sustained firm pressure on the front wall of the vagina, which is why it is associated with fingers and toys more than with penetration.
Its prominence in pornography is the reason it appears on a list like this, and that pushes scores in both directions: some people rate it high because it looks like visible proof of a partner's response, and others rate it low precisely because being expected to produce it is unwelcome. Embarrassment about the volume and the laundry is a common reason for a low score among people who do experience it.
What a score means here Squirting
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0
Hard no: you do not want this happening or being aimed for, mess included.
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1–33
1-33: you are indifferent, and being watched for it makes sex feel like a performance.
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34–66
34-66: fine when it happens, but you are not interested in chasing it.
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67–99
67-99: you want sex arranged so it can happen, towel down and pressure sustained.
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100
100: the release itself is what you want out of a session, not a side effect of it.
Rating it
A low score can mean it does not happen for you, or that chasing it holds no appeal; a high score means it is something you want to make room for rather than something to be self-conscious about.
Common misconceptions
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Squirting is just wetting the bed.
In practiceAnalyses find the large-volume fluid comes from the bladder but is not simply urine; it is dilute and typically contains prostate-specific antigen from the Skene's glands. Small-volume ejaculate is a separate, thicker fluid.
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Any woman can do it if the technique is right.
In practiceThere is no technique with a reliable success rate, and a substantial proportion of people never experience it regardless of stimulation. Treating it as a skill gap creates pressure and nothing else.
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It always means the orgasm was better.
In practiceIt can happen without orgasm and orgasm frequently happens without it. The two are separate events that sometimes coincide.
Worth knowing
There is no hazard here, but a towel or waterproof blanket and emptying your bladder beforehand handle most of the awkwardness, and it is worth treating as something that may or may not happen rather than a target a partner is held to.
About this item Frequently asked
Squirting — questions people ask
what is squirting and is it the same as female ejaculation
They are two different fluids that get called by one name. Squirting is the large-volume release, usually a clear or slightly cloudy fluid that comes from the bladder, is chemically dilute, and often contains prostate-specific antigen from the Skene's glands. Female ejaculation proper is a much smaller volume of thicker, milky fluid produced by those glands directly. Both exit through the urethra, which is why they are conflated, and many people experience one, the other, both, or neither.
how do you make squirting happen
There is no reliable method, but the conditions that make it more likely are consistent: sustained firm pressure on the front vaginal wall a couple of inches in, high arousal maintained over a long stretch, and not stopping when the urge to urinate appears. Emptying your bladder first removes the main hesitation. A come-hither hand motion or a curved toy delivers the pressure better than thrusting does, and many people add clitoral stimulation at the same time. Put a towel down beforehand so nobody is managing the mess mid-session.
is squirting the same thing as having multiple orgasms
No, they are separate items on this test and separate events in practice. Multiple orgasms means continuing past the first orgasm to a second or further one within a session; squirting is a fluid release that can occur with an orgasm, before one, or without one entirely. Neither predicts the other. People sometimes bundle them because both get treated as evidence of an especially intense session, but they involve different mechanisms and wanting one says nothing about wanting the other.
how do i score squirting if it has never happened to me
Score how much you want it, not whether your body does it. A 0 is a hard no, meaning you do not want it happening or being pursued. Between 1 and 100 the scale is continuous, so never having experienced it but being curious sits somewhere in the middle, and indifference sits low. Rating it low because it does not happen for you and rating it low because you dislike the idea are different things, and only the second is likely to stay fixed. It is not a measure of anything about your sexuality.
my partner keeps trying to make me squirt and i don't like it
Say plainly that it is not a goal you share, because unspoken discomfort here usually reads as encouragement. Chasing it turns sex into a test with a pass mark, and the sustained front-wall pressure that makes it more likely is also uncomfortable or numbing for some people after a few minutes. Naming a substitute helps more than a refusal alone: tell them what you do want that stretch of time spent on. If it keeps coming back after you have said so, the issue is not the act but who the session is being run for.
Appears on
This item appears on the Sapphic test — one vial each.