Simulation reveals what actually happens during female ejaculation

A simulation has shown what's going on in the body during female ejaculation, and what female ejaculate is actually made up of.

When it comes to men, or anyone assigned male at birth, ejaculation and sexual climax are considered to be one and the same.

However, this isn't the case when it comes to the female reproductive system.

Although all women, or anyone assigned female at birth, can experience an orgasm, research suggests that not all of them can ejaculate.

For those who do experience this phenomenon, which is estimated to be anywhere between 10 and 54 percent, according to a 2013 study, it is described as an involuntary expulsion of fluid during orgasm.

Have you ever wondered about the biological process behind female ejaculation? (Getty Stock Images)

The biology behind female ejaculation

Female ejaculate is understood to originate in the Skene's glands, which are two small ducts located on the front wall of the vagina, on either side of the bladder.

Often referred to as the 'female prostate', the Skene's glands originate from the same gonadal tissue, which develops into testes in babies with XY chromosomes and ovaries in babies with XX chromosomes.

The exact function of the Skene gland's is still being studied, but current scientific consensus suggests the gland is responsible for secreting an antimicrobial fluid.

They also have a function during sexual arousal, as the area around them becomes swollen due to an increase in blood flow to the general region. This may be the reason for the glands secreting fluid during sexual arousal and climax.

When it comes to the amount of fluid expelled during climax, this differs from person to person, with the simulation describing the fluid as having the appearance of 'fat-free milk' and varying in volume.

Take a look at a simulation of female ejaculation here:

The 'two types' of female ejaculation

So, now we're clear on what female ejaculation is, the next question is likely to be, what is the female ejaculate made up of?

While we're all aware of the fact that the main component of male ejaculate is semen, the female equivalent is once again shrouded in mystery, thanks to the imbalance in research around the sexes.

It was this lack of clarity which led French gynaecologist Samuel Salama to conduct a study on the subject, recruiting seven women to take part in a study back in 2014.

Published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, it revealed that the women who 'squirted' during orgasm excreted two distinct types of fluid.

In all of the women's samples, they found:

• Urea, a waste product produced by the kidneys, which is the main component of urine
• Creatinine, a waste product produced by the muscles when they break down creatine, again excreted by the kidneys and passed out in urine
• Uric acid, a chemical created when the body breaks down certain foods like red meat, peas, beer, anchovies and mackerel, which is filtered out of the blood by the kidneys and passed out in urine

Interestingly though, six out of the seven women also had prostatic-specific antigen (PSA), which is also found in male ejaculate.