Question: Brittany (12-14) asks…
Whenever I think about [a] guy [I] know my nipples get hard and this white stuff comes out [of] my vagina. What’s happening — what’s the stuff? Is it a part of puberty?

Answer: Well, it sort of is! What’s basically happening is your body is becoming physically aroused by your thoughts and probable fantasies about this boy you know (and presumably like). The “white stuff” is your vagina lubricating itself in anticipation of sexual activity, whether it be with someone else or not. “Nipple erections” can also be a sign of arousal. The lubrication and the nipple erections are like a boy’s penis erection and pre-ejaculate*. If you’re fantasizing about sex, even if you’re not sexually active, you are perfectly normal and should not feel guilty about it. Many (or most) people act out these fantasies as they masturbate. And that, too, is not something to feel guilty or “dirty” about either — it’s perfectly normal.

Pre-ejaculate: Guys urinate and ejaculate (“come”) through the penis. When a guy’s body anticipates sexual activity, it prepares the penis to pass semen (the fluid carrying sperm) by passing a fluid through it. This fluid comes from the Cowper’s Gland, and reduces the acidity in the urethra (the “pee tube”) that is caused by urine (“pee”). This fluid is called pre-ejaculate because it looks like a little bit of semen that seeps from the penis. Although this is not semen, it may still contain a small amount of sperm.

Credit: J. Geoff Malta, MA, EdM, NCC Adolescent Therapist