How to Squirt: Everything You Need To Know About Getting Off

Squirting may be one of the most discussed sex acts on the internet, but actually learning how to squirt is harder than it seems.

For those who are unfamiliar, squirting refers to the clear liquid that people with vulvas sometimes release when they orgasm. Because of its overrepresentation (and often misrepresentation) in pornography, people laud the act and argue over it in equal measure. There’s endless debate about squirting, including discourse on whether it actually even happens. But let it be known, people do squirt, and with enough patience, practice, and effort, many people with different types of bodies have the potential to squirt.

This topic is vastly understudied despite the popularity of squirting porn, and in spite of the number of people who want to learn how to squirt themselves (or how to make their partners squirt). This lack of information extends to the idea that only cisgender women can squirt. You might have come here asking “how to make a woman squirt,” but it’s important to note that it’s theoretically possible for people of all genders and body types to squirt.

If you’re wondering how to squirt, how to make someone squirt, or what the term squirting actually means, this article is for you. Queer sex educators and pleasure activists spoke with Them to help you learn more about this elusive (and pleasurable) sexual experience. Read on to learn everything you need to know about squirting.

What is squirting?

Squirting often refers to the involuntary release of clear fluid through the urethra during sex, usually before, during, or after an orgasm. The amount and force of this liquid release varies widely, from under 10 milliliters to over 100. “Squirting” isn’t a medical term, however, and it’s difficult to define specifically because different people experience it in a multitude of ways.

There hasn’t been a lot of research into squirting, but recent studies suggest that, during a squirting orgasm, fluid is released from the paraurethral glands and the bladder empties itself during a squirting orgasm. One oft-cited study — albeit with only seven participants — claimed that squirting is “essentially the involuntary emission of urine during sexual activity.” This does not, however, mean that it's “the same as urine,” Cecilia Villero, a queer pleasure educator known as Goddess Cecilia, tells Them. “Urine is composed of urea, toxins, uric acid, creatinine, and water. As squirting fluid comes out of the bladder, it makes sense that some of the same compounds are found in the fluid. Squirting fluid is much more diluted, mostly water, and contains similar fluid that’s released from the paraurethral glands.”