All about squirting...

Have you seen Julia Roca and Maria Riot in our latest release Slut*ish? Their steamy sapphic encounter will have you feeling hot in no time, but this episode is also that little bit extra special - watch the BTS and you'll see that this was Julia's first squirt for JoyBear...

Squirting, female ejaculate, the fluid that can come out of a woman's genitals often with an orgasm, is a hotly debated subject. Squirting is nothing new - the Kama Sutra discusses it with a detailed description of when it should be expected, and why. In the 17th century Regnier de Graaf, a Dutch anatomist, wrote 'Concerning The Generative Organs Of Women', describing the fluid and linking it to an erogenous zone inside the vagina that was much like male prostate.

Modern studies, of which there aren't many, have estimated that between 10-54% of women have squirted. Interestingly, in a 2013 study of 320 women, the amount of fluid released ranged from 0.3ml to over 150ml, a huge difference. Of course conducting these studies is not easy, but one thing that has emerged is that many specialists view female ejaculation and squirting as two different things.

If you've heard of squirting, you have probably also heard that it's just wee. However, it most certainly is not that simple. Oz Harmanli, MD, chief of ­urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery at Yale ­Medicine, has reviewed a lot of the research out there on squirting and  that the liquid that comes out is mostly urine mixed with some female ejaculate - “There is no gland or reservoir in the female body, other than the bladder, that can produce the amount of fluid released with squirting.”

However, analysis back in the 1980s by American sexologist Beverly Whipple found that that urea and creatine (chemical constituents of urine) were only present in very low levels, but additional substances were present that you would not expect in urine, notably prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, which is also found in semen, suggesting that women have the ability to ejaculate just like men.

For men, PSA is produced by the prostate and women’s bodies contain prostate tissue too, in structures known as the Skene’s glands or paraurethral glands, which are located on the front wall of the vagina. The Dutch anatomist had things right all those years ago. It is believed that these glands drain via ducts into the lower end of the urethra. The G-spot is also found in this area, we know for some women stimulating the front wall of the vagina can lead to intense orgasms, experts think that perhaps the range in size of these glands explains why some women have larger ejaculations than others. 

A small study of just 7 women had the participants empty their bladders before any sort of sexual touch. Once they were turned on, researchers used ultrasound to confirm that their bladders had filled again, and after orgasming and squirting, they found them to be empty. Out of these 7 women, 5 of the liquid samples had PSA in, the other two showed just urine. However on publication of this study many women took to the internet to report their own experiences of squirting, noting that the liquid they emitted looked and smelt nothing like urine. Given that the study was of only 7 women, the number who spoke out is meaningful, there simply isn't enough research to say for sure what is happening.

Remember the advice to always pee after sex? Scientists have hypothesised that squirting could be an adaptive function in some women that clears the urethra of harmful bacteria that may have made their way up their during sex, preventing infections.

Have you ever squirted? Back in 2015 New Scientist reported that all women should be able to squirt "if their partner knows what they are doing". If you'd to find out more about how to try, don't miss the next instalment of the JoyBear Journal...

Stay safe. Have fun. Issy x