Female ejaculation explained by the research so far

What female ejaculation means

Female ejaculation is a body response that some people with a vulva notice during strong arousal or orgasm. A small amount of fluid comes out of the urethra, the same small opening that urine passes through. The fluid is usually thick, milky or whitish, and much less in volume than most people expect from the word "ejaculation".

For a long time, this topic sat somewhere between folklore and embarrassment. Many women who noticed it worried they had leaked urine. Others never noticed it at all, because the amount can be so small that it simply mixes with vaginal lubrication. Both experiences are normal.

The key idea to take away from this page is simple. Female ejaculation is one specific thing, a small release of gland fluid. The gush of clear liquid that people call squirting is usually a different thing with a different source. Our page on squirting vs female ejaculation compares the two side by side.

Where the fluid comes from

The fluid comes mainly from the Skene's glands, also called the paraurethral glands. They sit along the lower part of the urethra, inside the front wall of the vagina, close to the area often described as the G-spot. Tiny ducts carry their secretion to small openings on either side of the urethral opening, or into the urethra itself.

The glands are named after Alexander Skene, a gynecologist who described them in 1880. About a century later, the Slovak pathologist Milan Zaviacic studied this tissue in detail through the 1980s and 1990s. He argued that it is the female counterpart of the male prostate, and he proposed calling it the female prostate. His view has since gained wide support in medical writing.

If you want to know more about their shape, position and other jobs in the body, read our full guide to the Skene's gland.

What researchers have measured

The strongest evidence that female ejaculation is its own fluid comes from chemistry. Researchers look for markers that are produced by prostate tissue and not by the bladder.

• PSA (prostate specific antigen). This protein is best known from men's health checks. Wimpissinger and colleagues reported in 2007 that the fluid released by women during orgasm contained PSA, which points to prostate type tissue as the source.
• Prostatic acid phosphatase. Zaviacic and his team also described this enzyme in the secretion of female prostate tissue.
• Low levels of urine markers. In the samples that matched classic female ejaculation, the fluid did not look like plain urine.

These studies were small, sometimes with only a handful of volunteers. That is common in sexual health research, where funding is limited and the subject is private. So the findings are best read as solid clues, not as final numbers that apply to every body.

It also helps to know that the Skene's tissue differs a lot between people. Zaviacic described variation in how much gland tissue a person has and where it sits along the urethra. That variation is one reasonable explanation for why some people release noticeable fluid and others release little or none. It is a difference in anatomy, much like height or hand size, and not something anyone did right or wrong.

How it differs from squirting

When scientists separate the two, the picture becomes much clearer. In 2013, Zlatko Pastor published a review in the Journal of Sexual Medicine that described female ejaculation and squirting as two different phenomena. Rubio-Casillas and Jannini made a similar distinction in 2011.

In short, female ejaculation is a small amount of thick, whitish gland fluid. Squirting is usually a larger amount of thin, clear fluid that comes from the bladder and is mostly diluted urine, sometimes mixed with a little gland fluid. Salama and colleagues showed this in 2015 using pelvic ultrasound, which we cover in detail on our page about what squirt is made of.

Some people experience one, some experience both at the same time, and many experience neither. None of these patterns says anything about how healthy, sexual or "responsive" a person is.

How common it is

Honest answer, nobody knows the exact share. Surveys on this topic use different definitions, often mix up squirting and ejaculation, and rely on what people remember. Some studies asked women whether they had ever released fluid at orgasm, and a meaningful number said yes, but the wording varied so much that the results cannot be lined up neatly.

What we can say with confidence is that it is not rare and not strange. Some people notice it often, some only now and then, and some never. Because the amount can be tiny, many people may have it without being aware of it. If you are curious whether your body can do it, our guide can all women squirt explains why the answer differs from person to person.

What it feels like and when it happens

People who notice female ejaculation usually describe it around orgasm, though some notice it during strong arousal without orgasm. It often happens with pressure on the front wall of the vagina, where the Skene's tissue sits, but it can also happen with other kinds of touch.

There is usually no special feeling tied to the release itself, because the volume is so small. Some describe a sense of fullness or warmth in the area beforehand. Others only realise it happened when they notice a slightly thicker, milky wetness afterwards. To see how it looks next to squirting, our page on what female ejaculation looks like describes amount, colour and texture.

No pressure, no scorecard

Female ejaculation is not a skill to master and not a sign of better sex. Plenty of people have wonderful, satisfying sex lives without ever noticing any fluid. Pleasure, comfort and connection matter far more than anything you can see on the sheets.

If you are exploring with a partner, talk about it openly. Agree on what feels good, what to stop, and how to keep things relaxed. Curiosity works best when nobody feels they are being tested.

When to talk to a doctor

Female ejaculation itself is harmless. Still, see a gynecologist or urologist if you notice pain when passing urine, a swelling near the urethral opening, discharge that smells bad or looks yellow or green, blood, or urine leaking during daily life such as coughing or exercise. A pelvic floor physiotherapist can help with leaking or pelvic pain. These are common, treatable issues and are worth checking.