Before we dive into the main topic of the week, I wanted to address a reader’s response about how I decide what is “typical” when it comes to something as diverse as sexual behavior. There’s as many opinions and variations on sex as there are people in the world, so writing a column about the “standard” is impossible and unrealistic.

That being said, I only have so much space and so much time, and thus I define “the general public” as those whose opinions appear on the first page of Google search results. I do my best not to write from a place of subjectivity, personal experiences and anecdotes, but rather from objectivity, research and the opinions of the masses. Luckily, we are taking a break this week from touchy issues drowning in patriarchal thought and sex-negative cultural norms, and instead focusing on the facts.

How does vaginal ejaculation work? I’ve heard it’s actually just pee…

Oh, the elusive vaginal ejaculation. Like pubic lice or scissoring, “squirting” seems to exist in a strange state of hyper-invisibility wherein everyone has heard of it, but few people actually know someone who has experienced it. Let’s start with the mechanics.

Vaginal ejaculation begins in the paraurethral Skene’s glands, named after the 19th century Scottish gynecologist Alexander Skene. Skene’s glands lay directly beside the urethra, below the clitoris and above the opening of the vagina. Skene’s glands serve as secretory organs and function identically to the prostate, including the emission of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), which are often found at elevated levels in people with prostate cancer.

Structurally, Skene’s glands are a smaller twin of the prostate gland and function in much the same way. Some people’s Skene’s glands are more developed than others, which can affect whether or not an external opening to the glands is present, if the glands are able to secrete fluid and the amount of fluid able to be secreted. People who experience vaginal ejaculation (perhaps more accurately called “Skene’s gland ejaculation”) have developed Skene’s glands that have direct external openings or openings into the urethra, have the ability to collect and ejaculate prostate fluid, and can become stimulated during sexual activity to release during orgasm. Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that the Skene’s glands are in any way associated with the G-spot or the intense sexual pleasure that can accompany stimulation of the prostate gland. When a person with developed Skene’s glands becomes aroused, prostate fluid collects in the glands, which can then contract during orgasm and cause ejaculation.

There’s a popular myth — it seems to be particularly rampant in fratboy circles — that vaginal ejaculate is nothing more than pee. The myth became so popular, it seems, that academia finally picked up on it and published an article in the Journal of Sexual Medicine titled “Female ejaculation orgasm vs. coital incontinence: a systematic review.”

Published in 2013, the article successfully informs its audience of literally everything anyone ever needed to know about vaginal ejaculation, all in the span of 10 pages. As much as it pains me to say this, the frat myth about pee is not completely incorrect.

The tidal waves of clear liquid produced by the pornographic phenomenon of “squirting” or “gushing” are indeed made up of a solution that contains urine. However, the fluid also contains prostate fluid and vaginal discharge, and the emission from the bladder is not your traditional yellow pee. Instead, prostate fluid, vaginal discharge and vestiges of urine merge to form a new ejaculated solution, which contains less urea, uric acid and creatine than urine, but more sodium and potassium than prostate fluid. Thus, vaginal ejaculate consists of what the article calls “an altered form of urine,” which combines emissions from the Skene’s glands, the bladder and the vagina itself. Typically, the Skene’s glands secrete up to 50 milliliters of fluid, whereas the liquid from “squirting” can reach volumes of up to 900 milliliters. Furthermore, chemical analysis of the ejaculated liquid reveals that PSA and PAP secretions from the Skene’s glands are present in the solution, which further disproves the theory that the ejaculate is pure urine.

Another, less circulated myth is that anyone can learn to achieve vaginal ejaculation if they try. While this may be true in some cases, the development of the Skene’s glands is an essential and unalterable component of ejaculation, which makes squirting an unattainable goal for many. However, it is believed that anyone can ejaculate if the Skene’s glands are developed enough to maintain and release liquid. Little research has been done on vaginal ejaculation, and the only statistic I could find on its prevalence was the vague statement from the aforementioned article that “the prevalence of [vaginal ejaculation] is 10-54%.” The moral of the story: ejaculators are all around us, smug with the knowledge that they alone possess Skene’s glands with a purpose.

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