Everything You Need to Know About the U-Spot

The “U” in “U-spot” stands for urethra. Yeppp, urethra, as in the place that pee comes out.

This itty bitty opening, as well as the sheath of erectile tissue around it, is dense with nerves, says Sarah Melancon, PhD, a clinical sexologist with Sex Toy Collective, an online pleasure-product review site.

“These nerves also [supply nerves to] other areas of the genitalia and are involved in sexual pleasure,” Melancon adds.

For some people, stimulating some or all of those urethral nerves can feel good.

Anyone who can urinate has a urethra. That means that, technically, anyone who has a urethra has a U-spot.

However, when people talk about the U-spot, they’re typically talking about people with vaginas.

When the urethral opening is stimulated in people with penises, it’s usually referred to as urethral stimulation or urethral sounding.

For those with vaginas, “the urethral opening is located on the vulva between the clitoris and the vaginal opening,” explains Heather Jeffcoat, a doctor of physical therapy specializing in sexual dysfunction and incontinence and the author of “Sex Without Pain: A Self-Treatment Guide to the Sex Life You Deserve.”

“The urethra and the vagina are two completely separate anatomical areas,” she says.

Depending on the shape of your vulva and vagina, you might have to spread your inner or outer labia to find it.

Using a hand-mirror to look at your bits can help. Jeffcoat recommends lying on your back with a mirror between your legs.

“Starting with your clitoris, from top to bottom or front to back, travel in a line straight down,” she says. “The first hole you’ll see is the urethra.”

(The second hole you’ll see is the vaginal opening, and the third hole you’ll see is the anus.)

Many things!

To be honest, asking this Q is like asking “What makes an arm different from a leg?” Yes, arms and legs are both limbs. But the similarities more-or-less stop there.

Likewise, the G-zone, A-spot, and U-spot are all hot spots, but that’s the extent of their similarities.

While the U-spot is an external hot spot located below the clitoris, the G-zone and A-spot are internal hot spots located inside the vaginal canal, about 2 and 4 inches in, respectively.

We can’t make blanket statements like this for any erogenous zone.

“For some, urethra stimulation brings them the most intense orgasm possible,” Jeffcoat says.

“For others, it could be an entirely different kind of sensation, compared to their orgasm,” she says, “one that increases arousal but doesn’t lead to orgasm.”

And some people may not like the sensation at all. Again, everyone is different.

Neither is easier, necessarily. And Jeffcoat suggests trying both.

“Exploration is always a good idea so you can learn what feels good to you,” she says.

Whatever you try, keep in mind that, generally speaking, G-E-N-T-L-E stimulation is usually best.

“This highly sensitive area needs to be treated with more care than a vintage champagne glass from 1956,” according to Gigi Engle, certified sex coach, sex and intimacy sexpert for SKYN, and author of “All The F*cking Mistakes: A Guide to Sex, Love, and Life.”

In other words, *don’t* suck the area like you’re finishing off a seedy blackberry smoothie. You also don’t want to pinch, flick, poke, or prod the spot.

There are many techniques and toys you can try — with or without your partner(s) — to stimulate the U-spot.

With your fingers

“Keep the touch very light,” Melancon suggests.

Tapping or circulating the area with minimal pressure can work well, she says. “Try up and down, left and right, and clockwise or counterclockwise.”

When using your hands (or toys!), be sure to use lube.

“This area is very sensitive, and, without enough lubricant, the touch can cause too much friction and be uncomfortable or painful,” Melancon explains.

Safety tip

The U-spot should only be touched with freshly washed fingers and toys.

The urethra doesn’t have the same protective microbiome as the vagina, so it can’t fight off bacteria with the same force, Engle explains.

As a result, the chance for getting a urinary tract infection (UTI) is higher if unclean fingers and toys are used to stimulate the area.

With your mouth

“Some people like the sensation of light licking,” Melancon says. “You [or a partner] can also try licking up from the vaginal opening toward the clitoris to stimulate the urethral opening.”

If you’re prone to UTIs, Engle recommends against receiving oral U-spot stimulation. “The mouth is FULL of bacteria,” she says, noting that this influx of bacteria can increase your risk for a UTI.

With a vibrator

For many folks, this pleasure-zone is capital-s Sensitive, so you may want to use a lower-intensity vibrator.

Due to the fact that their motors are tiny and therefore less powerful, a bite-sized vibrator typically works best. This includes:

• bullet vibrator
• finger vibrator
• C-ring

For easier U-spot stimulation, you want your front genitals — or a partner’s — to be on full display! These positions can help.

Lifted missionary

Try propping a sex pillow or wedge under the receiver’s hips in the missionary position. This will angle the pelvis and front-genitals up, making the U-spot — as well as the clitoris and clitoral hood — easier to manually or orally stimulate.

Laying lotus

Laying lotus is similar to missionary in that it positions the receiver on their back. The difference is the shape of the legs.

Here, the receiver leans back with the bottoms of their feet glued together, legs creating a butterfly-like shape.

Rider-on-top

If you want to combine U-spot stimulation with vaginal or anal penetration, you can try this.

Here, the receiver climbs on top, letting the giver’s fingers, dildo, or dick — just to name a few options — ease inside the vagina or anus.

While being penetrated, the receiver can reach down to stimulate their own U-spot with their fingers or a toy. Or, the giving partner can do the stimulating.

Vaginal ejaculation, sometimes called female ejaculation or squirting, is the name for the release of fluid from the urethra during arousal or orgasm.

Because the fluid comes out of the urethra, it makes sense that you’d wonder whether direct urethral stimulation can results in this release.

The answer: It might!

However, anecdotal reports indicate that squirting most commonly occurs in response to simultaneous clitoral and internal G-zone stimulation, *not* U-spot stimulation.

Yes: Pee!

Ever heard that it’s good to pee after sex?

“That’s because peeing helps flush the urethra of bacteria,” Engle explains. “If it gets bacteria up there, the risk of a UTI is quite high.”

Beyond that, practice whatever aftercare or post-sex rituals you usually enjoy.

Go ahead and add the U-spot to your “Erogenous Zones To Explore List.”

While there are no guarantees that you’ll enjoy this type of stimulation, Melancon says, “exploring your body and learning your likes and dislikes can ultimately lead to more pleasurable sex.”

In other words, you won’t know until you try it out!

Gabrielle Kassel is a New York-based sex and wellness writer and CrossFit Level 1 Trainer. She’s become a morning person, tested over 200 vibrators, and eaten, drunk, and brushed with charcoal — all in the name of journalism. In her free time, she can be found reading self-help books and romance novels, bench-pressing, or pole dancing. Follow her on Instagram.