The Clitoris
The clitoris. What is it and what’s it for? Most people don’t get great sex education growing up and of the sex ed that’s given, it’s mostly about the anatomy of the human body, rather than about sex itself. On top of that, the sex ed that’s geared towards anatomy isn’t focused on pleasure, so most of us walk away just knowing there’s a penis, balls, or a vagina and maybe some ovaries or fallopian tubes, if someone was really paying attention.
One little bundle of nerves that seems to be left out of the equation is the clitoris, which is astounding, considering it’s the pleasure house for a large portion of individuals with vaginas. The clitoris can be found under or attached to the clitoral hood. Don’t know where that is? Reference the picture on the left (glans clitoris). It’s essentially above the vaginal opening and urethral opening and below the mons pubis (the mound-like portion of the top of the vulva that may or may not have a lot of pubic hair on it). The beauty of the clitoris is that it houses a similar amount of nerve endings as the head of the penis (around 8,000 nerve endings, give or take)! Why is this important? Because oftentimes, when sex is explained, most people just learn about penis-vagina penetration, which for many individuals can create an immense amount of pleasure, but for a large portion of individuals with vaginas, it can feel a little anti-climactic (no pun intended) when that’s “all that’s going on”. Many individuals with vaginas will find that once they find that pleasure-filled button (which can range in size from smaller than a pea all the way to the size of a baby carrot, though size has no bearing on the amount of pleasure received), the game has been changed! Oftentimes, women will masturbate stimulating the clitoris alone (either by rubbing it in a circular motion or a back and forth motion, tapping, etc. The options range greatly!). Stimulation of the clitoris during intercourse tends to get a lot of positive results as well, as a large percentage of women (anywhere from 60-85%) report needing this type of stimulation (not just penetration alone) to orgasm. Bear in mind that direct stimulation of the clitoris can be uncomfortable for a lot of women because of how sensitive it is. The best results seem to come from rubbing the skin of the clitoral hood over the clitoris using lubrication of some kind (if you’re in a pinch, some spit here and there will do).
So, the next time you have some alone time, take a moment to explore that nice little part of your body. Or, if you’re a partner of a person with a clitoris, give that spot a little extra love and attention, bearing in mind to always seek feedback and make sure it’s the right spot, pressure, pace, etc. for your partner (as some women prefer other areas to be stimulated such as the labia, opening of the vagina, etc.).
