The Clitoral Structure

Correction—in further reading, some say the glans of the penis has only 4,000 nerve endings but the penis as a whole may have more than 8,000. Guess research, though much more thorough on men, isn’t complete for them either.

The Clitoral Structure

This was an eye-opener. I’d read that the larger part of the clitoris extends beneath the surface. I thought the outer clitoris was simply an excitable little nub. Who knew it had pieces-parts? The clitoral hood, analogous to the male foreskin, completely or partially—there’s a wide variation in women—covers the clitoral shaft and the glans, a structure approximately the size of a pea where most of the nerve endings reside. The hood is made of erogenous tissue and protects the glans.

Many women cannot tolerate direct stimulation of the sensitive glans. With proper lubrication, the hood slides over the tissue and both become enlarged with stimulation. The glans becomes hyper sensitive with further stimulation and withdraws slightly as the hood further enlarges. It returns to its normal size in five to ten minutes after an orgasm but may take hours if no orgasm is achieved, which can be very uncomfortable.

The hood may become permanently enlarged due to giving birth, hormonal abnormalities, or steroid use and call for surgery to trim or remove it altogether, similar to the male circumcision. Rarely, a woman opts to have this performed as a cosmetic surgery to enhance her sexual experience. Gives me the shudders.

Clitoral vs Vaginal Orgasms

Some clinicians believe a vaginal orgasm alone is impossible since the vagina, especially the inner two-thirds, have few to no nerve endings. Minor surgery there can often be done without anesthesia. Others say the clitoral structure extends into the front wall of the vagina and can produce pleasure deep within the vagina. Friction to the outer clitoral area can be maintained during intercourse by adjusting positioning or using manual stimulation at the same time to achieve orgasm.

More on positions and techniques in a later post. Got caught up in the structure of the clitoris this week, so next week—more on what happens physically during an orgasm for both sexes, multiple orgasms, and female ejaculation.