- What is it?
Despite what you may have heard, you don’t need a penis to ejaculate! You just need a urethra. Your urethra is a tube that allows urine to pass out of the body.
Ejaculation occurs when fluid — not necessarily urine — is expelled from your urethral opening during sexual arousal or orgasm.
This is different from the cervical fluid that lubricates your vagina when you’re turned on or otherwise “wet.”
- Is it common?
Surprisingly so! Although the exact numbers are difficult to nail down, small studies and surveys have helped researchers get a sense of just how diverse female ejaculation can be.
In an older volunteer sample of 233 participants, about 126 people (54 percent) said that they’d experienced ejaculation at least once. About 33 people (14 percent) said that they experienced ejaculation with all or most orgasms.
The most recent cross-sectional study on female ejaculation followed women age 18 to 39 from 2012 to 2016. The researchers concluded that a whopping 69.23 percent of participants experienced ejaculation during orgasm.
- Is ejaculation the same thing as squirting?
Although many people use the terms interchangeably, some research suggests that ejaculating and squirting are two different things.
Squirting — the gushing fluid often seen in adult films — appears to be more common than ejaculation.
The fluid that’s released during squirting is essentially watered-down urine, sometimes with a bit of ejaculate in it. It comes from the bladder and exits via the urethra, the same as when you pee — only a lot sexier.
- What exactly is ejaculate?
Female ejaculate is a thicker, whitish fluid that resembles very diluted milk.
According to a 2011 study, female ejaculate contains some of the same components as semen. This includes prostate specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase.
It also contains small amounts of creatinine and urea, urine’s primary components.
- Where does the fluid come from?
Ejaculate comes from the Skene’s glands or “the female prostate.”
They’re located on the front wall of the vagina, surrounding the urethra. They each contain openings that can release ejaculate.
Although the glands were described in detail by Alexander Skene in the late 1800s, their similarity to the prostate are a fairly recent discovery and research is ongoing.
One 2017 study suggests that the glands are actually able to increase the number of openings along the urethra in order to accommodate larger amounts of fluid secretion.
- So it isn’t urine?
Nope. Ejaculate is mostly prostate enzymes with just a hint of urea.
However, the fluid released when squirting is diluted urine with a bit of ejaculate in it.
- Wait — it can be both?
Sort of. Ejaculate contains hints of urea and creatinine, which are components of urine.
But that doesn’t make ejaculate the same thing as urine — it just means they share some similarities.
- How much is released?
According to a 2013 study of 320 participants, the amount of ejaculate released can range from approximately 0.3 milliliters (mL) to more than 150 mL. That’s more than half a cup!
- What does ejaculation feel like?
It seems to vary from person to person.
For some people, it doesn’t feel any different than an orgasm that occurs without ejaculation. Others describe a rising warmth and tremor between their thighs.
Although true ejaculation is said to occur with orgasm, some researchers believe it can happen outside of orgasm through G-spot stimulation.
Your level of arousal and the position or technique may also play a role in the intensity.
- Does it have a taste?
According to one 2014 study, ejaculate tastes sweet. That’s quite fitting for a fluid that was dubbed “nectar of the gods” in ancient India.
- Or a smell?
It doesn’t smell like urine, if that’s what you were wondering. In fact, ejaculate doesn’t appear to have any smell at all.
- Is there a connection between ejaculation and the G-Spot?
The jury’s still out on this.
Some scientific literature report that G-spot stimulation, orgasm, and female ejaculation are connected, while others say that there isn’t a connection.
It doesn’t help that the G-spot is almost as big a mystery as female ejaculation. In fact, researchers in a 2017 study attempted to find the G-spot only to come up empty-handed.
That’s because the G-spot isn’t a separate “spot” in your vagina. It’s a part of your clitoral network.
This means that if you stimulate your G-spot, you’re actually stimulating part of your clitoris. This region can vary in location, so it can be difficult to locate.
If you’re able to find and stimulate your G-spot, you may be able to ejaculate — or just enjoy a new and potentially mind-blowing orgasm.
- Is it really possible to ejaculate “on command”?
It isn’t like riding a bike, but once you’ve learned what works for you, your chances are definitely a lot higher.
Getting a feel — literally — for what feels good and what doesn’t can make it easier to get right down to business and ejaculate when you want to.
- How can I try?
Practice, practice, and more practice! Self-stimulation is one of the best ways to discover what you enjoy — though there’s no harm in practising with a partner.
As a matter of fact, when it comes to finding and stimulating the G-spot, a partner may have better luck reaching it.
Either way, consider investing in a vibrator that’s curved to provide easier access to the front wall of your vagina.
Using a wand toy may also allow you or your partner to explore further back than you can with fingers alone.
It’s not all about the G-spot though. The right clitoral and even vaginal stimulation may also make you ejaculate.
The key is to relax, enjoy the experience and try different techniques until you find what works for you.
- What if I can’t?
There’s a whole lot of fun to be had in trying, but try not to become so fixated on it that it takes away from your pleasure.
You can have a fulfilling sex life regardless of whether you ejaculate. What matters most is that you find something that you do enjoy and explore it in a way that’s comfortable for you.
If you’re set on experiencing it for yourself, consider this: One woman shared that she ejaculated for the first time at age 68. You may just need to give it time.
The bottom line
Try to remember that in sex — just as in life — it’s about the journey, not the destination. Some people ejaculate. Some don’t. Either way, it’s important to enjoy the ride!
