While the term “squirting” is often used to describe the clear, gushing type of ejaculate that likely comes from the bladder, the term “female ejaculation” is used to describe a second, separate type of ejaculate that’s thought to originate from Skene glands. (Here’s our full explainer on what squirt is if you want to get into the nitty-gritty details.)
Sometimes referred to as the “female prostate,” Skene glands are located in the area around the urethra, known as the urethral sponge. The ejaculate from Skene glands is a white, milky fluid that has chemical similarities to semen.
This second type of ejaculate is released in much smaller quantities, Vrangalova notes, because Skene glands are quite tiny compared to the bladder, which can hold and release quite a lot of liquid. If this smaller, milkier “female ejaculation” happens without the gushing fluid from the bladder, it’s possible that some women may not even notice it.
Skene glands are also still a bit of a mystery themselves: “There have been a couple of these anatomical studies on cadavers that have dissected that area trying to find Skene glands, and they can’t really find them in everyone!” Vrangalova explains. “So it’s possible that maybe 30 or 40% of vulva owners and vagina owners don’t even have them.”
If not all vagina owners have Skene glands, then it’s possible that those without these glands aren’t able to experience this form of ejaculation. To make things even more complicated, Vrangalova notes that even among people who do have Skene glands, there are differences in the anatomical structure from person to person.