Yes, we’re talking about squirting — the most debated aspect of orgasms for people with vaginas. According to research, around 10 percent to 54 percent of us can do it — and yet, there is a whole lot of confusion around it.

If you’ve not experienced squirting personally, the likelihood is that you’ve seen what it looks like. It only takes a quick search on a porn site to find video after video of porn stars expelling what looks like litres of fluid from their vaginas seemingly effortlessly and, as it turns out, people can’t get enough of it.

According to Pornhub’s latest year in review, searches for “squirting” on site have soared by 188 percent. Pornhub also found that searches for “how to squirt” have also seen a massive rise over the last year – “how to” searches increased by 244 percent and there are now more than 200,000 videos on Pornhub that are tagged or titled as instructional videos. Porn is designed to entertain, not educate, however.

We’re here to debunk the myths of squirting for you with the help of the pros and keep you away from typing “how to” into any porn site’s search bar.

But what actually is squirting? Is it really just pee? And for those of us who are yet to experience the phenomenon, how on earth are we meant to open the floodgates?

What is squirtin?

Yes, really. Dr. Andrea Maduro, MD, medical advisor at period tracking app Flo Health, explains that you can ejaculate and squirt at the same time, but the two actions are completely separate.

“Vagina ejaculate itself is a fluid released commonly at orgasm with a consistency that is sometimes thick, white, milky, and/or gray. It originates in the Skene’s glands, which are located around your urethra and that in turn might lead you to think that female ejaculation is just pee,” she tells Mashable.

OK, but if squirting isn’t pee, then what is it?

When it comes to female ejaculation, Maduro explains that two enzymes that can be found in semen —prostate-specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase — are also found in its vaginal counterpart, alongside very low levels of urea and creatine, the chemicals that are in pee. The two enzymes produce the liquid that sperm swims around in, but for people with vaginas it is produced in the Skene’s glands and simply acts as ejaculate.

So, that means although it’s not urine specifically, you’re always going to find traces of it because it comes out the urethra.

Where does squirting come into it and how is it different? Well, if you imagine ejaculation as a trickle, squirting is a tsunami.

“In more complex terms, squirting is an orgasmic expulsion of about 10 millilitres (0.35 fluid ounces) of clear fluid from the bladder, while female ejaculation is only about 3 millilitres (0.1 fluid ounces) of thick fluid from the Skene glands,” Maduro explains.

How do I squirt?

Alix Fox, award-winning sex writer, sex educator and UK spokesperson for Japanese designer adult toy brands, TENGA and iroha, is a squirting pro and has a plethora of tips to get your juices flowing.

“Prepare by drinking plenty of water in the preceding hours, then laying down a towel, or waterproof sex blanket. The Liberator Fascinator Throw is the go-to GOAT, in my opinion – it has a liquid-resistant core but is slinky and velvety on the outside, and you can bung it in the washing machine once you’re done going with the flow. If you like to self-pleasure standing up, the shower can be a convenient experimentation location too,” says Fox.

For many of us, it can feel like we’re about to pee right before squirting so to ease your worry, Fox advises that you should visit the bathroom before hitting the bedroom (or your preferred setting for pleasure).

“Many gushing gurus advise that you need to ‘push through’ or ‘lean into’ this feeling of needing to pee, while bearing down with your pelvic muscles. It can be much easier to let go rather than clamp up if you’re confident that you’re not actually going to piss yourself.”

Toilet break done, what’s next? According to Fox many people with vaginas will find G-area stimulation the key to achieving squirting.

“The G-area is a zone of tissue about 0.5-2 inches inside the vagina, on the front wall (so towards the belly button, not the backbone). The G-area tends to plump up when you’re aroused, as it engorges with blood, and applying rhythmic pressure to with fingers or a specially shaped toy stimulates the Skene’s glands and the ‘legs and bulbs’ of the clitoris: hidden bits that extend down from the little ‘nub’ you can see on the outside of your body,” she explains.

Lean into that feeling of pressure that Fox describes and bear into your pelvic muscles and you may just find that you’ve managed to squirt. Maduro adds that the way ejaculation feels can also differ from person to person and while to some, squirting may just feel like a normal orgasm, while to others it can feel like warmth or pressure followed by a release.

As for how much liquid you might release, it can vary massively person to person.

“A 2013 study of 320 participants measured volumes of approximately 0.3mls to more than 150mls – so from a few drops to a small wine glass,” says Fox. “Although the current world record is 1350ml, produced in just 24 seconds.”

Is it just about G-area stimulation?

If you struggle to orgasm through internal stimulation, the good news is that it’s not the only way to induce squirting, with Fox herself adding that she prefers to do things externally using sex toys.

“Personally, my favored route to becoming suddenly sodden is to give myself an orgasm by stimulating my external clit with my iroha Temari vibrator then keep the vibe in place rather than removing it after I’ve come. It feels slightly overwhelming at first, since I’m very sensitized, then that sensation gives way to a release of liquid.

“Other people find rabbit-style dual stimulators that hit the G-area and the external clitoris are what get them to Waterworld, or airpulse suction-type clit stimulators like the Satisfyer Sunray.”