Key takeaways

  • The female prostate is the Skene's glands — small glands beside the urethra that develop from the same embryological tissue as the male prostate and produce similar secretions (including PSA).
  • Female ejaculation is normal and happens in some women, not all. Whether or not you ejaculate says nothing about your sexual health.
  • True ejaculate is a small amount of milky fluid from the Skene's glands; high-volume ‘squirting’ is largely dilute bladder fluid. Neither is the same as urinary incontinence.
  • A lump or persistent pain near the urinary opening is not always a UTI — a Skene's gland cyst, abscess, or urethral diverticulum can look similar and needs a proper exam.
  • Skene's gland cancer exists but is very rare. A new, growing, or bleeding lump near the urethra should always be examined.
  • In India, gynaecology, urology, and urogynaecology services can diagnose and treat these conditions; government tertiary hospitals offer the same care at little or no cost.

What is the female prostate (Skene's glands)?

The female prostate is not a single organ like the walnut-sized male prostate. It is a set of small glands and ducts — the Skene's glands, also called paraurethral glands — tucked into the wall of the urethra, the tube you urinate through. The ducts open at or just inside the urinary opening (urethral meatus).

The name ‘female prostate’ is not loose language. The Skene's glands form from the same embryological tissue (the urogenital sinus) that becomes the prostate in males, which makes them developmental homologues. Under the microscope they contain the same kind of glandular tissue, and they make some of the same secretions — including prostate-specific antigen (PSA), prostatic acid phosphatase, and glucose. In 2002, the Federative International Committee on Anatomical Terminology formally accepted ‘female prostate’ as a valid anatomical term.

The Skene's glands sit just behind the front (anterior) wall of the vagina. That close relationship is why this area is linked to the ‘G-spot’ idea and to ejaculation in some women, and why a Skene's gland problem can feel like it is coming from the vagina, the urethra, or the bladder all at once.

One thing that surprises many people: the amount of glandular tissue varies a lot from woman to woman. Some have well-developed Skene's glands; others have very little. This is a normal anatomical variation, not a sign that anything is wrong — and it helps explain why experiences like ejaculation differ so widely.

Female ejaculation: what the science actually says

Female ejaculation — the release of fluid from the urethra during arousal or orgasm — is real, documented in medical literature, and one of the most misunderstood parts of female sexual function. Researchers usually describe two different things:

True female ejaculation is a small amount (a few drops to a couple of millilitres) of milky or clear fluid released around orgasm. Biochemically it matches male prostatic fluid — it contains PSA, prostatic acid phosphatase, and glucose — which tells us it comes from the Skene's glands, not the bladder. This is the key fact that settles the old ‘is it just urine?’ worry: chemically, it is not urine.

‘Squirting’ is the larger-volume release (sometimes tens to hundreds of millilitres) of clear, watery fluid. Research using ultrasound and fluid analysis suggests this fluid comes mostly from the bladder — the bladder fills during arousal and empties at the moment of release — though it can carry some Skene's gland secretions too. Because the fluid is very dilute, it usually does not look or smell like normal urine. Importantly, this is a sexually triggered event, not the same as stress urinary incontinence (leaking when you cough or jump) or urge incontinence.

How common is it? Estimates range widely — roughly 10% to 50% of women — because studies define it differently and because many women may release a tiny amount without ever noticing. The wide range mostly reflects real differences in anatomy and definition, not anything you are doing right or wrong.

Do you have to ejaculate? No.

Here is the part worth holding on to: whether or not you ejaculate is not a measure of your sexual health. Many women have intense, completely satisfying orgasms and never ejaculate. Others do, sometimes. Both are normal.

Two opposite anxieties show up around this. Some women fear they have wet themselves and feel ashamed — when in fact they have experienced a normal physiological release. Others, often after seeing squirting portrayed everywhere in pornography, feel inadequate because they don't ejaculate, or feel pressure to ‘perform’ it. Neither worry is grounded in biology.

The accurate framing is simple: female ejaculation is a normal variant that happens in some bodies and not others, largely because of how developed the Skene's glands are. If sex feels like a test you have to pass, that pressure itself can blunt pleasure — reclaiming comfort and agency in intimacy matters more than producing any particular fluid. For many couples, especially in India where these topics are rarely discussed openly, simply having accurate sex education removes most of the shame.

The G-spot: myth, magic, or something in between?

The ‘G-spot’ (named after gynaecologist Ernst Gräfenberg) is usually described as a sensitive area on the front wall of the vagina, a couple of centimetres in. Decades of imaging studies have failed to find a single discrete ‘spot’ or button there — so the headline ‘the G-spot is a myth’ keeps reappearing.

The truth is more interesting than either extreme. That region is where several sensitive structures crowd together: the deep, internal parts of the clitoris (which extends far beyond the visible glans and wraps around the urethra and vagina), the Skene's glands, the pelvic floor muscles, and a dense web of nerves. Stimulating the front vaginal wall stimulates this whole complex at once. So while there may be no single anatomical ‘spot’, the area genuinely is sensitive for many women — and for some, it is linked to ejaculation. ‘It doesn't exist’ is as misleading as ‘there is a magic button.’ Female pleasure is wired across many structures, and it varies enormously from person to person.

When a lump or pain near the urethra is NOT a UTI

Because the Skene's glands sit right at the urinary opening, problems there are very easy to confuse with a urinary tract infection or with a Bartholin's cyst. Getting the diagnosis right matters, because the treatments are completely different. The main conditions to know about:

Skene's gland cyst. If a gland's duct gets blocked, fluid builds up into a smooth, fluid-filled lump near the urethral opening. Small cysts that cause no trouble can simply be watched. Larger ones may alter your urine stream, cause a feeling of incomplete emptying, lead to repeated UTIs from urine stasis, or make sex uncomfortable. Treatment, when needed, is surgical — either removing the cyst or marsupialisation (creating a permanent drainage opening).

Skene's gland abscess. This is an infected gland: a sudden, painful, tender, swollen lump at the urethra, sometimes with redness, fever, or pus. It needs incision and drainage — antibiotics alone usually will not clear an abscess. Because gonorrhoea was historically a common cause, testing for sexually transmitted infections (NAAT for gonorrhoea and chlamydia) is part of the workup. In India this testing is free at NACO STI clinics.

Skene's gland cancer (adenocarcinoma). This is genuinely rare — a kind of ‘female prostate cancer’ with tissue similar to male prostate cancer. It can present as a lump near the urethra that is first mistaken for a cyst, sometimes with bleeding, pain, or urinary symptoms. The reassuring message is that it is uncommon; the important message is that any new, growing, bleeding, or hard lump near the urinary opening should be examined and, if needed, biopsied rather than assumed to be harmless.

Skene's gland vs Bartholin's vs urethral diverticulum

These three are routinely mixed up, so it helps to know the difference by location and behaviour. A Bartholin's cyst or abscess sits at the back of the vaginal opening (the 4 and 8 o'clock positions), not at the urethra — different gland, different spot, different drainage. A urethral diverticulum is an out-pouching of the urethra itself; its classic clue is the ‘three Ds’: dysuria (burning), dyspareunia (painful sex), and post-void dribbling, often with fluid that can be milked from the front vaginal wall. Distinguishing these usually needs an examination plus imaging — pelvic ultrasound, MRI, or a urethroscopy.

Why go to this trouble? Because the wrong label leads to the wrong treatment. Repeatedly being given antibiotics for ‘another UTI’ when the real problem is a Skene's gland cyst or a diverticulum is not just ineffective — it fuels antibiotic resistance and delays the surgery or drainage that would actually fix things. If your symptoms don't fit a textbook bladder infection, that is exactly the time to ask for a closer look. Our guides on whether UTI symptoms can linger after antibiotics and telling a yeast infection, UTI and BV apart cover the more common look-alikes.

When to see a doctor

Female ejaculation by itself is normal and needs no medical attention. But because the Skene's glands and urethra share space with the bladder and vagina, certain symptoms in this area do deserve a professional exam rather than guesswork. See a gynaecologist or urologist if you notice any of the following:

Getting checked in India: who to see and what it costs

Start with a gynaecologist or your primary doctor. A consultation at FOGSI-member clinics or hospital chains such as Apollo, Fortis, Manipal, and Cloudnine typically runs around ₹600–₹2,500, and tele-medicine platforms (Practo, MFine, 1mg and others) offer an initial assessment for roughly ₹500–₹1,500. A basic urine test and culture costs about ₹150–₹400 privately and is free at government facilities; STI testing (NAAT) is free at NACO STI clinics or ₹1,500–₹3,500 privately.

If the exam suggests something near the urethra, you may be referred to a urologist or urogynaecologist — a sub-speciality focused on the female pelvic floor and urinary tract that is increasingly available in Indian cities. Investigations might include a pelvic ultrasound (₹1,000–₹3,000), pelvic MRI (₹6,000–₹15,000 privately, free at major government tertiary hospitals), or a cystoscopy/urethroscopy (₹3,000–₹8,000 privately).

Treatment costs vary: typical Skene's gland surgery runs roughly ₹8,000–₹25,000 at private centres and is free or minimal-cost at government tertiary hospitals such as AIIMS, PGIMER, and JIPMER. The rare cancers are managed at cancer centres including Tata Memorial, AIIMS, and the Cancer Institute (Adyar), free at government centres. Most major insurance plans, plus CGHS, ESI, and Ayushman Bharat for eligible people, cover these consultations and procedures — confirm coverage before a planned operation. A short note: government tertiary hospitals may have waiting times, but the clinical quality for these procedures is high.

Why so many Indian women never hear about this

If this is the first time you have read that women have a prostate, you are not alone. Indian sex education — where it is taught at all — tends to focus on reproductive anatomy, periods, pregnancy, and STIs, and rarely covers sexual-response anatomy like the internal clitoris, the Skene's glands, or ejaculation. The Adolescence Education Programme exists, but its rollout is uneven across states, and cultural silence around female sexuality does the rest.

The cost of that silence is real. Women describe confusion about their own bodies, embarrassment over experiences they cannot name, and — more seriously — delayed diagnosis when a genuine problem like a Skene's gland cyst or abscess turns up, because neither they nor sometimes their first doctor consider it.

The fix is not complicated: accurate information, framed without shame. Female sexual anatomy is part of overall health, and knowing the basics helps you describe symptoms clearly, advocate for the right tests, and talk to a partner. Including partners in this knowledge — rather than treating it as a private ‘women's matter’ — tends to make care-seeking easier, not harder.

The female prostate across your life

Like the rest of the genitourinary tract, the Skene's glands and the tissue around the urethra respond to your hormones, especially oestrogen. After menopause, falling oestrogen thins and dries these tissues, which can increase UTIs and cause discomfort — part of what is now called the genitourinary syndrome of menopause. Local vaginal oestrogen can help, and atrophic vaginitis and genitourinary symptoms after menopause are very treatable. Sexual changes at this stage are also worth normalising; pleasure and intimacy after menopause are absolutely still possible.

Throughout life, the muscles supporting this whole area matter too. A strong, well-coordinated pelvic floor supports bladder control and sexual sensation, and pelvic floor and Kegel exercises are a low-risk way to look after it. The practical takeaway is the one we started with: the female prostate is real, ordinary anatomy. Knowing it exists helps you tell normal experiences (like ejaculation) apart from problems that need a doctor — and ask for the right care when you do.

Female prostate myths, corrected

Myth: ‘Only men have a prostate.’

  • Not true. Women have the Skene's glands — the female prostate — which develop from the same tissue as the male prostate, look similar under the microscope, and even make PSA. International anatomists formally recognised the term ‘female prostate’ in 2002.
  • It is much smaller and more diffuse than the male prostate, but it is real, and it can develop cysts, abscesses, and (rarely) cancer that deserve proper diagnosis.

Myth: ‘Female ejaculation is just leaking urine.’

  • True ejaculate (a small amount of milky fluid at orgasm) is a gland secretion from the Skene's glands — it contains PSA and prostatic acid phosphatase, which urine does not, so chemically it is not urine.
  • High-volume ‘squirting’ is largely dilute bladder fluid, but it is a sexually triggered release, not the involuntary stress urinary incontinence of coughing or jumping. Neither version means anything is wrong with you.

Myth: ‘The G-spot is a complete myth.’

  • Oversimplified. Imaging hasn't found a single discrete ‘spot’, but the front vaginal wall is where the internal clitoris, the Skene's glands, the pelvic floor, and dense nerves all meet — so it genuinely is sensitive for many women.
  • ‘It doesn't exist’ is as misleading as ‘there's a magic button.’ Pleasure is wired across several structures and varies from person to person.

Myth: ‘A Skene's abscess is the same as a Bartholin's abscess.’

  • Different glands, different locations. A Skene's gland abscess sits at the urethra; a Bartholin's abscess sits at the back of the vaginal opening.
  • Both usually need drainage, but at different sites — so getting the location right is what gets you the correct treatment. A persistent lump or pain near the urethra also warrants a careful exam to rule out a urethral or vaginal cause that is easy to misread.

Frequently asked questions

Do women really have a prostate?

Yes. The Skene's glands beside the urethra are the female prostate. They form from the same embryonic tissue as the male prostate, have similar microscopic structure, and produce some of the same secretions, including PSA. ‘Female prostate’ has been an accepted anatomical term since 2002.

Is female ejaculation normal, and is it urine?

It is completely normal in the women who experience it. True ejaculate is a small amount of milky fluid from the Skene's glands and is chemically distinct from urine. Larger-volume ‘squirting’ is mostly dilute bladder fluid but is a sexual release, not incontinence.

Does every woman ejaculate?

No. It happens in some women and not others, mainly because the amount of Skene's gland tissue varies a lot. Not ejaculating is normal and does not mean anything is wrong with your sexual response — many women have very satisfying orgasms without it.

I have a lump near my urinary opening. Should I worry?

It is worth getting examined rather than assuming. It could be a harmless Skene's gland cyst, but a painful one may be an abscess (which needs drainage), and a new, growing, hard, or bleeding lump should always be checked to rule out the rare Skene's gland cancer or a urethral diverticulum.

Could repeated ‘UTIs’ actually be a Skene's gland problem?

Sometimes, yes. A Skene's gland cyst or a urethral diverticulum can cause urine stasis and look like recurrent UTIs. If infections keep returning despite treatment, ask your doctor about a closer examination and imaging rather than just repeating antibiotics.

Can the female prostate get cancer?

Yes, but it is very rare. Skene's gland adenocarcinoma resembles male prostate cancer under the microscope and is treated mainly with surgery, sometimes with radiation or other therapy. Because it is uncommon, the key step is simply having any persistent lump near the urethra examined.

Sources