OP: Female Ejaculation

There has been another increase in comments, questions and questionable information regarding both the G-Spot and female ejaculation. This post is simply what the medical profession knows, does not know and thinks is correct. Both of these are rather sophisticated and misunderstood concepts. I am, in no sense, arguing for or against any position on the existence of the G-Spot and the reality of female ejaculation.

To follow what is said here, it would be helpful to have a diagram of the female reproductive organs. Search for “female reproductive system” and print the two diagrams or pictures you find – the external and the internal. The internal will be a cross-sectional or “cutaway” view. Women, grab a mirror and follow along on yourself. Men, you are stuck with the picture unless you have a cooperative friend who will allow you to poke around a bit. From the top to the bottom will be shown the mons veneris, separation in the vulva, clitoral hood, clitoris, outer lips, inner lips, urethral opening, vaginal entrance and the anus. The internal view will add bladder, vagina, cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. Those items excluded on most diagrams are Glands of Bartholin, Skene’s Glands, and the G-Spot, itself. On the Wikipedia entry on Skene’s Glands, the G-Spot is shown on the posterior (back) wall of the vagina; it is believed to exist on the anterior (front) wall. No one has ever suggested it to be where Wikipedia shows it.

There are huge amounts of anecdotal data supporting the ability of some women to ejaculate (squirt) and the sensitivity of the G-Spot. Some of these reports go back to ancient Greece. Many, if not most, professionals accept that there is some reality to both phenomena. We also know that comparatively few, certainly well less than half, of women report ejaculating or having experienced G-Spot stimulation. So, what do the three things often omitted from the diagrams amount to?

The Glands of Bartholin are “para-vaginal” glands with openings slightly below and to either side of the vaginal opening. They secrete a thick waxy fluid. For a very long time, they were thought to provide lubrication for the vagina. Some references still describe them as lubricating glands. However, neither the amount nor the viscous nature of the excretion could serve this purpose. Some people also cited these glands as the source of female ejaculatory fluid. Again, they cannot provide the volume usually reported in ejaculation. No one knows exactly what their purpose is. The best theories revolve around pheromones –sexually attractive smells to attract males. All female mammals have them and the incidence of sniffing and licking observed among many animals are likely the males checking to see if the female is receptive. Most female mammals are receptive (and capable of orgasm) only during estrus – when they are “in heat.” These glands would have a characteristic smell when the female is willing to allow sex. The “homologue,” or equivalent, in the male is the Cowper’s Gland which provides the fluid commonly referred to as “pre-cum.”

You may or may not be able to see the gland openings in the mirror. Look inside the inner lips just behind and on either side of your vaginal opening. You will not be able to feel them unless they are inflamed in some way. When you have a gyn exam, the pinch that the doctor does in this area is checking for cysts. Not common. They seem to no longer serve any useful purpose. Human women are able to reach orgasm and are willing to engage in sex other than when they are fertile. Like the coccyx, or tail-bone, we have a vestigial holdover from evolution. The secretion of the Cowper’s Gland in men is believed to lubricate the urethra to allow the semen to slide more efficiently. Only a few decades ago there was a different explanation. Some references continue to suggest that the purpose is to neutralize the acidic environment to allow sperm to live in the urethra. The Glands of Bartholin probably do not figure in our sexual response. We simply have them because “they have always been there.”

Skene’s Glands are a different story. They are “para-urethral” and their openings are traditionally shown on either side of the urethral opening. Again, you may or not be able to see them in the mirror. Only in the last few decades has it been known that some women have other openings into the interior urethra. These openings can only be seen during autopsy. Some women appear to have undetectable Skene’s Glands; some have very extensive and large ones. They are located “behind” what is usually identified as the G-Spot. Their homologue in the male is the prostate. The prostate actually manufactures semen and dumps it, during sexual arousal, into the urethra. The Skene’s Glands may do the same and some researchers have identified some similarity between the female ejaculatory fluid and semen. The Skene’s Glands, as the Glands of Bartholin, serve no purpose in reproduction, so nature really does not care whether we have them or not. These, too, may fall to evolution over the next thousands of years.

In some women, these glands are quite extensive, spongy and appear capable of holding a noticeable quantity of fluid. In other women they are not identifiable. They are located beside and around the urethra behind the supposed location of the G-Spot. This could explain some people describing the G-Spot as either “spongy” or “rough”. Eva and I are each quite “smooth.” The Skene’s glands could be felt through the vaginal wall. This may also explain the urge to pee during G-Spot stimulation. While Eva and I were searching, we spent much time running back and forth to the loo with little results. The stimulation was irritating the urethra, itself, and could be pressing small amounts of fluid from the glands into the urethra, giving that urge. This implies, of course, that the Skene’s glands do produce some fluid. How much is not known but is suspected to vary as much as the size of the Glands among women.

What is the answer? There is none and those who try to give an answer are doing a disservice to all women. We, in medicine, generally believe that some women do ejaculate and some do not – perhaps cannot – depending upon the development of these glands. Whether or not there is a direct relationship between the G-Spot and ejaculation cannot be explained. Some women ejaculate during orgasm but have never reached orgasm through G-Spot stimulation; others (such as I) can reach orgasm through G-Spot stimulation but have never ejaculated.

For several years I have asked patients about “excess fluid” during orgasm. About ten percent have said yes, some with great embarrassment; most have said no and many are quite evasive or admit that they have never experienced orgasm. My conclusion is that some have and some not; some can and some cannot; most really do not know. For those starting on their sexual journey, G-Spots and squirts should be addressed way down the road. Sexual response, especially in women, is so complex and misunderstood that there is much learning to be done before any advanced stuff should be forced.

OP Brandye 01/03/2007 - 17:42

Posted: 17 Aug 03:48