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The
clitoris
The clitoris
is the female sexual organ found where the labia minora, or inner lips,
meet. It consists of a rounded area or head, called the glans, and a
longer part, called the shaft, which contains cavernous bodies similar
to those of the penis. The tissue of the inner lips normally covers the
shaft of the clitoris, which makes a hood, or prepuce, to protect it.
The only directly visible part of the clitoris is the glans, which looks
like a small, shiny button. The size and shape vary considerably among
women. It can be seen by gently pushing back the skin of the clitoral
hood. There is a high concentration of nerve endings in the clitoris and
in the area immediately surrounding it.
The abundance of nerve
endings in the clitoris makes it very sensitive to direct or indirect
touch or pressure. Stimulation of the clitoral area can be very
pleasurable. In fact, providing its owner with sexual pleasure is the
organ's only known function, and the clitoris is the only organ in
either sex with pleasure as its sole function. It has nothing to do with
getting pregnant, with menstruation, or with urination.
When a woman becomes
sexually aroused, both the glans and the shaft fill with blood and
increase in size. The glans can double in diameter. There is no evidence
that a larger clitoris means more intense sexual arousal. As erotic
stimulation continues and orgasm approaches, the clitoris becomes less
visible as it is covered by the swelling of tissues of the clitoral
hood. This swelling is designed to protect the clitoris from direct
contact, which, for some women, can be more irritating than pleasurable.
It moves out again when the stimulation stops.
After orgasm the clitoris
returns to its normal size within about ten minutes because the orgasm
leads to a dispersal of the accumulated blood. If the woman doesn't have
an orgasm, the blood that has flowed into the clitoris as a result of
sexual arousal may remain there, keeping the clitoris engorged for a few
hours. Many women find this uncomfortable.
A woman's clitoris can be
stimulated through direct or indirect contact. During intercourse the
penis does not contact the clitoris directly. The thrusting of the penis
in the vagina, regardless of the position used, moves the labia minora,
and it is this movement of the lips against the clitoris that usually
creates the orgasm. Direct contact with the clitoris by touching it with
a finger, vibrator, or a tongue can cause more discomfort than pleasure
for many women. For these women, more general rubbing or licking of the
area around the clitoris is likely to feel better. Other women enjoy
very intense direct stimulation. There is great variability in
sensitivity of the clitoris and each woman will discover what feels best
to her.
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Sex
