Skene’s Glands: What They Are and Why They Explain Female Squirting

If you’ve ever wondered why some women squirt and others don’t, the answer is physical, not psychological. It comes down, at least in part, to a small pair of glands most people have never heard of. Skene’s glands sit near the female urethra and are the primary source of the fluid released during squirting and female ejaculation. Understanding what they are and how they work clears up a lot of the confusion around a subject that even scientists spent years arguing about.

Where Are Skene’s Glands?

Skene’s glands (also called the paraurethral glands) are located on the front wall of the vagina, on either side of the urethral opening. Their exact size and structure vary quite a bit from person to person. In some women they’re prominent; in others they’re much smaller or harder to identify. This anatomical variation is one of the main reasons squirting doesn’t work the same way for everyone.

They were named after Alexander Skene, a Scottish physician who documented them in the late 1880s. Small in size, typically just a few millimeters, they’ve turned out to be significant when it comes to sexual arousal and fluid production. For a long time they were largely ignored in sexual health literature, but research over the past two decades has repositioned them as central to the biology of female ejaculation.

What Do Skene’s Glands Actually Do?

During sexual arousal, Skene’s glands produce and secrete a fluid. When researchers analyzed this fluid, they found it shares key properties with prostate secretions in men, specifically the presence of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), an enzyme more commonly associated with male biology. This is why Skene’s glands are sometimes called the “female prostate.”

That finding shifted how scientists think about female ejaculation. For decades the dominant assumption was that any fluid released during sex came from the bladder and was essentially urine, or at least mostly urine. Research published in the past decade confirmed that fluid from Skene’s glands is chemically distinct from urine, though trace urine components can sometimes be present in larger squirting releases. The two phenomena are related but not the same thing.

If you want a deeper look at the biology, our breakdown of why women squirt covers the full picture of what happens inside the body during a squirting orgasm.

Skene’s Glands and the Squirting vs. Ejaculation Distinction

There are two phenomena that often get lumped together: female ejaculation and squirting. They’re related but not identical. Female ejaculation refers specifically to the release of a small amount of fluid produced by Skene’s glands, typically milky white and relatively modest in volume. Squirting tends to involve a larger, more forceful release of clear fluid that originates partly from the bladder.

Skene’s glands are central to the ejaculation side of that equation. When stimulated, particularly through G-spot contact (which involves pressing on the area near where Skene’s glands sit), they can release fluid during orgasm. The larger squirting response involves bladder participation as well, which is why the two experiences can look and feel quite different even though they often happen together.

The distinction matters more than most people realize. We break it down in detail in our post on female ejaculation vs squirting, including what the fluid actually contains and why the debate around it ran for so long.

Why Skene’s Gland Size Varies Between Women

Skene’s glands differ significantly in size, and possibly even in presence, across individuals. Some research suggests a small percentage of women have Skene’s glands that are so small or underdeveloped that they produce little to no detectable fluid. This isn’t a dysfunction or a health issue. It’s anatomical variation, the same way people differ in any other physical characteristic.

For women with well-developed Skene’s glands, the potential for fluid release during orgasm is higher. For others, it may be minimal regardless of technique or stimulation level. This anatomical reality is also why no amount of practice guarantees the same outcome for everyone, a point we tackle directly in our piece on can all women squirt.

This variation also explains why squirting looks so different across creators and performers. What you see in videos ranges from small, targeted releases to large gushes. Both are real. Both have anatomical explanations. Neither is faked in the way skeptics often assume, at least not when the content is genuine.

G-Spot Stimulation and Why It Activates Skene’s Glands

The G-spot and Skene’s glands are functionally linked. The G-spot isn’t a distinct anatomical structure with a clear edge. It’s more accurately described as a region on the front vaginal wall where pressure stimulates the tissue surrounding the urethra and the glandular tissue nearby. When this area is stimulated during sex or solo play, it engages Skene’s glands directly.

This is why G-spot focused stimulation is the most reliable path to female ejaculation. Curved toys, partner positions that create anterior wall pressure, and sustained stimulation in that region all work by activating the same glandular tissue. The sensation many women describe as a “need to pee” during G-spot play is related to this pressure, since Skene’s glands sit so close to the urethra that stimulating one area affects the other.

Relaxing the pelvic floor rather than tensing it is important here. When pelvic muscles clench, they can hold back fluid even when the glands are active. Learning to release that tension during high arousal is one of the things that makes the difference for people who are on the edge of squirting but can’t quite get there.

What This Means If You’re Curious About Squirting

Knowing the anatomy helps you focus attention in the right place. The front wall of the vagina, two to three inches inside and directed upward toward the navel, is where Skene’s glands can be accessed. Deep G-spot stimulation during high arousal is the most consistent trigger. Arousal level matters a lot. Skene’s glands are more active and more likely to produce fluid when the body is fully engaged, not just mechanically stimulated.

Understanding Skene’s glands also means accepting that results vary by person. Some women produce a noticeable ejaculate with little effort. Others find that even with good technique, squirting or ejaculation simply doesn’t happen in the same volume. Both experiences are rooted in anatomy, not effort or willingness, and neither one is more impressive or valid than the other.

See It in Real Content

Understanding the anatomy is one thing. Seeing how it plays out across different bodies and different levels of stimulation is another. If you want explicit squirting content from a creator who’s actually focused on the subject, Pissomojado’s squirt videos show the full range of what female ejaculation looks like in practice. It’s a more honest take on the subject than the exaggerated version that shows up in mainstream scenes.