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IN FOCUS: ARTICLE |
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Clitoris Class
by Christy Brownlee, 01.25.05
Believe it or not, the only known function of the clitoris is to give girls and women sexual pleasure. |
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Raise your hand if you're an expert on the clitoris! Hey, don't worry if you're not. Many women and men are confused about where the clitoris is, what it does, and what it's for. Sit in on a few basic lessons to get the lowdown on the clitoris.
Geography
Know where the clitoris is? A lot of people don't. If you're a girl, you can grab a mirror to check out the clitoris up close and personal. If you're a guy, you can look for the clitoris on this diagram. Follow the inner labia — or lips — on each side of the vagina, up to where they meet. That little bump at the top is the clitoris.
In many women, the head of the clitoris, or glans, is about the same size and shape as a pea, but some are smaller and some are bigger — some are as large as a small finger. The head of the clitoris may be hidden within the folds of the labia, barely poking out, or it may hang far below them. It also comes in different colors — like the labia, the head may vary in color from pink to brownish black.
The often pea-shaped head is covered most of the time by a little flap of skin called the clitoral hood. Even though you can see the head when you pull back the hood, there's a lot more to the clitoris that you can't see. The head sits at the end of a long internal shaft and network of nerves that extend up to five inches inside the body. The shaft separates into two legs that straddle each side of the vagina.
Biology
Where did the clitoris come from? You might be surprised to find out that it has a lot in common with its closest relative, the penis. When an embryo is developing inside a pregnant woman, before it even becomes female or male, it has erectile tissue between its legs that will either shape itself into a clitoris or penis. Scientists refer to this kind of neither female nor male tissue as "undifferentiated."
All embryos start out physically undifferentiated, with a bud of erectile tissue that looks much like a clitoris. Then, when they're eight weeks old, embryos genetically coded to become boys produce a bath of hormones — various kinds of testosterone — that steer the development of the embryo into a male and the erectile tissue into penile tissue, eventually forming a penis. This is what biologists call the "Adam Plan." Without the hormone bath, the undifferentiated embryo develops into a female, and the erectile tissue develops into a clitoris — the "Eve Plan."
Because the penis and the clitoris are so similar, they do many of the same things — especially during sex. Both the penis and the clitoris are full of ultra-sensitive nerve endings. The clitoris actually has more nerve endings than the head of a penis, even though it appears to be much smaller! Like the penis, the clitoris is full of spongy erectile tissue that fills with blood, getting firm and erect during sexual excitement. So, much like men, women can get erections too.
Health
What's the clitoris for? Believe it or not, the only known function of the clitoris is to give girls and women sexual pleasure. Sex scientists refer to is as the center of sexual arousal in women. Touching or stimulating all those sensitive nerve endings during sex play can feel really good. In fact, most orgasms come from clitoral stimulation, not vaginal stimulation. On the flip side, because the clitoris is so sensitive, many girls and women don't enjoy touching it directly. Masturbation can help girls and women figure out what kind of sexual stimulation they like.
When it comes to the type of stimulation we like and to the appearance of the clitoris itself, different is normal! |
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