A scientific study into the female climax revealed there are two distinct types of ejaculation.
Unlike the male orgasm, the female (or anyone assigned female at birth) equivalent has long been shrouded in mystery, thanks to a lack of research and historical attitudes towards women's sexual pleasure.
Numerous myths about the female orgasm have persisted over the years, including how and where it happens as well as whether or not women 'squirt' urine when they climax. A study previously suggested that between 10 and 54 percent of women have experienced some form of it in their lives.
While poorly understood, the concept of female ejaculation is certainly one which has caused much debate, with the UK previously passing restrictions on depicting it in pornography.
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However, one French study published in 2015 sought to set some of these myths straight for good.
What happens during female ejaculation?
The research, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, saw French gynaecologist Samuel Salama recruit seven women who underwent sexual stimulation in order to determine what exactly happens during female ejaculation.
Each of the women who took part in the study had previously reported experiencing a discharge of a noticeable amount of fluid from the urethra during climax and were asked first to provide a urine sample.
They then underwent a pelvic ultrasound to confirm that their bladders were completely empty before stimulating themselves to orgasm, with a second pelvic ultrasound performed moments before climax.
A final ultrasound was then performed after orgasm, with the three scans then compared and the results were fascinating.
Although each of the women had urinated before sexual stimulation, the second ultrasound revealed that their bladders had refilled – confirming that the fluid excreted at climax originated from the bladder.
Salama and his team then performed a chemical analysis on the fluids expelled from the body during orgasm.
The 'two types' of female ejaculation
Results from the seven women revealed there were two distinct types of liquid excreted during orgasm.
Two of the women's samples revealed no difference between their urine and the ejaculate. Meanwhile, the other five women secreted fluid which contained the enzyme prostatic-specific antigen, which had not been present in their initial urine sample.
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is produced in the prostate and is a key part of the make-up of male ejaculate, as it breaks down cervical mucus and helps the semen swim freely.
While women do not have prostate glands, they do have something known as the Skene glands, which are two small ducts located on the front wall of the vagina.
"This study presents convincing evidence that squirting in women is chemically similar to urine, and also contains small amounts of PSA that is present in men’s and women’s true ejaculate," Barry Komisaruk, a Rutgers University Psychologist and sex therapy expert, told New Science.
He added: "There are evidently two different fluids, with two different sources. Whether either of these fluids plays a physiological role – that is, whether they serve any adaptive function, is not known."
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Health
Brenna Cooper