While many cynics dismiss female ejaculation as just another new-agey
fad that involves mistaking piss for goddess juice, it's actually been
documented for centuries. For the ancient Greeks — Aristotle included — female
ejaculation was par for the course. Hell, some of them even believed
it was necessary for conception. Squirting also pops up in ancient
Japanese erotic art, old Chinese sex advice books, the Kama Sutra, and the writings of second-century physician Galen. It wasn't until scientists started focusing on the differences between
male and female bodies around the 18th century that female ejaculation
got a bad rap. During the 20th century, even Masters and Johnson, those
champions of positive sex thinking, suggested that ejaculation was
simply urinary stress incontinence, and surgeons actually operated
on prolific ejaculators to "correct the problem." Still today, people
remain confused, embarrassed and/or freaked out by the phenomenon.
That's why we're here.
Female ejaculation is so damn hard to study because it varies from
woman to woman. Some women spurt straight across the room, others just
leave a big wet spot on the sheet — we're talking anything from a few drops to a series of gushes. (And then there are those super ejaculators in porn videos who produce several cups, but since when can you believe anything you see in porn?) Some women ejaculate right before a G-spot orgasm, some do it independently of orgasm, others do it in sync with their G-climax, and still others can do it from external clitoral stimulation alone (though some degree of G-spot stim is usually the "open sesame" for
the floodgates). Some women don't ejaculate at all... Or do they? One
theory speculates that all women produce ejaculate, but for various reasons, don't know it: Maybe they confuse it with vaginal lubrication and/or urine; maybe they resist the urge to let go and unknowingly flush it out later when they pee; or maybe they produce so little that it trickles out inconsequentially.
What the Hell Is It?
One thing everyone agrees on (at least everyone who believes it exists) is that female ejaculate is expelled through the urethra during orgasm or arousal as a result of pelvic muscle contractions (i.e. orgasm) and/or the glands overfilling. It's definitely not pee though, at least not as we know it. There may be traces of
pee in the fluid (it's coming out of the pee hole, after all). Or you may pee
slightly when you come, if you haven't emptied your bladder recently. But the
fluid we're talking about here — thin, watery, transparent or milky, slightly sweet-tasting, and not very pungent — ain't
no piss.
Some researchers say it's prostatic-like fluids from the paraurethral glands, others say it's just a chemically altered form of urine from the bladder. Some say it's a combo of both. Hell, it could be orange juice for all anybody knows. The next time you have the privilege of being in the presence of female ejaculate, sniff it yourself and decide.
The most convincing argument we've heard yet comes from a study cited in Rebecca Chalker's must-read for anyone with a clitoris in their life: The Clitoral Truth. A student of human sexuality who also happened to be a seasoned ejaculator took a bladder relaxant drug (that turns urine bright blue) before several masturbatory sessions. When she ejaculated, the expelled fluid was either clear or only slightly tinged with blue; when she subsequently peed, the expelled urine was bright blue every time... Eureka!
Can
I Drink It?
Natural vaginal lubrication is a transmission fluid, i.e. it
can contain traces of HIV if the woman is infected. Urine,
on the other hand, is sterile, and doesn't. The jury's still
out on ejaculate, so best to be safe and consider it to be
a transmission fluid.
Let Your Love Flow: Tips for Would-Be Geysers
While we recommend you don't go chasing waterfalls (the last thing women need is another ridiculous sexpectation put upon them), the following tips may nurture your inner ejaculator:
Go it alone first. There's less pressure and you can take as long as you want without boring anyone.
Let it go. You're going to feel like you've got to pee, but don't worry
about pissing the bed — if you've gone to the bathroom beforehand, there
shouldn't be a problem. But even if there is some piss, is it really a problem? Golden showers are sexy.
Bear down. Take "letting go" a step further by actually pushing out when
you feel the urge to pee, like you're in a pee-off and you're about to take the
lead.
Do a "dry" run with urine. Stimulate the G when you know you've got to P. When
the urge is overwhelming, just let it flow. Practicing with urine first will
teach you how to let go and get messy. When you're ready for your ejaculate to
go solo, do the exact same thing — just empty your bladder first.
Don't block the exit. A large toy, a penis or a hand might cut off the urethral opening. Keep up the stimulation, just get them out of the way as best you can.
Get hot and bothered. Being super sexed-up, overcome with lust, and engulfed in the flames of desire means a number of things: 1. Your G-spot is easier to find and can take more pressure, which means more experimental poking. 2. Your pelvic muscles are more relaxed, which makes it easier to let go. 3. You're more likely to have an orgasm, causing pelvic contractions which help expel the fluid. 4. You're super sexed-up, overcome with lust, and engulfed in the flames of desire!
Have an orgasm first. Ejaculating might be easier after your groin has already been warmed up and relaxed by an explosive O.
Make clean-up a cinch. Put down towels or a waterproof pad (you'll find them in the incontinence aisle at the pharmacy) or a fitted vinyl or PVC sheet (available at most sex shops) so you're not stressed about wetting the bed. Or do it in the bathtub; if you actually run a bath, the warm water will also help you relax.
Drink water. When you're thirsty, your body gets retentive with all its fluids, including female ejaculate.
n°
Em & Lo (Emma Taylor
and Lorelei Sharkey), former Nerve sex advice columnists and authors of
Nerve's The Big Bang and Sex Etiquette, are getting into
politics this fall: They're embarking on a six-city tour called "Sex Ed
for Grown-Ups." Presented by NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation, their
hour-long show combines skits, on-the-street interviews, faux music
videos, audience participation and Q&As to cover everything from
anatomy to activism, from safer sex to the Supreme Court, from gay
rights to gadgets. Every show is free, open to the public (18+) and
guaranteed to learn you something new. Click here for tour
cities and dates.
