About 40% of women say they’ve ever squirted in their lifetime. For some, their ability to squirt was a spontaneous, natural discovery, while others engage in specific strategies and techniques to squirt. But what are these strategies? Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is no one-size-fits-all method to get there - but women describe a combination of techniques that work for them. One of the most common is clitoral stimulation, with a variety of options and techniques ranging from oral sex to using fingers or vibrators. Many also described vaginal stimulation, with one study describing the “come here” motion as a pleasurable form of internal stimulation that leads to squirting more often than an “in-and-out” motion. Some found that combining vaginal and clitoral stimulation was the key for them, with one or the other on its own not being quite enough to get them there. For some, anal penetration, often combined with other stimulation, was what led them to squirt most often. 

In addition to particular types of stimulation, some find that engaging their pelvic floor at the right moment, or through repeated tensing and release, is what brings them to squirt. Importantly, mental state also plays a role! For a lot of women, the more aroused and comfortable they feel, and the more trust they have with their partner or partners, the more likely they are to squirt. Although a lot of the current research on this topic has focused specifically on women with vaginas, much of it applies to anyone with a vagina! 

So, squirting isn’t necessarily about any one strategy, but about taking the time to explore your body with or without a partner and to see what feels good! But, it’s also important to know that squirting isn’t always associated with increased pleasure. In one study, about 60% of women reported that squirting was pleasurable for them, and only 20% said that it always coincided with orgasm. We could say a whole lot about the misconceptions mainstream pornography creates about sex- and squirting, like other sex acts, is often not portrayed in a representative or accurate way. 

Lastly, and importantly, not everyone can squirt- and that’s okay! There is a whole world of sexual experience to explore outside of squirting.