For those of you that just tuned in, the Accidental Advice Column takes the search terms that show up in our blog data and pretends they are questions that people actually want to ask us!
Today’s question: Where is your clitoris?
Where indeed! This is a more complicated question than it might seem at first glance. Don’t roll your eyes, you advanced clitoral conquistadors! Even you might learn something.
But first, the basics. The clitoris is comprised of both external and internal parts. The part that you can see (when it’s not being shy) is called the “glans” - and yes! it is analogous to the glans (head) of the penis. The glans of the clitoris is usually hidden under its hood at the belly-button side of your vulva. See diagram below:
This is the basic external design, but clitorises are as different as all of their owners. Clits can be small and shy - hiding under the hood all the time, they can be an inch or longer and exposed, or they can be somewhere in between. Clits grow larger and more sensitive when you get aroused and as they become engorged with blood. And one thing is for sure, clitorises have twice as many nerve endings in their glans than one can find in an entire human penis. Go clits!
In terms of stimulation - some clit-owners find they like hard, direct stimulation on the glans, while others prefer indirect stimulation: rubbing the hood, pulling on the labia, pressing on the entire vulva. There is no wrong way to play with a clit as long as it feels good to you.
But the thing is - the glans is just the tip of the iceberg. The clitoris is a mostly internal structure. See below for the astonishing (and true!) diagram:
Okay. So just to orient ourselves, the top of the drawing is the external clit - the glans that we talked about at length above. The bottom is the vaginal opening. And what’s the rest of that business? That, friends, is the internal structure of the clitoris. Why, you may be asking, haven’t you heard of this before? Well, that’s because the clitoris is made of erectile tissue which swells during arousal. The only way, until very recently, to examine the internal clitoris, was by dissecting cadavers. Are cadavers aroused, generally speaking? No. So their erectile tissue was all shriveled up and basically invisible. It wasn’t until an Australian urologist named Helen O’Connell had the brilliant idea to run an MRI on live lady parts to see what she could see… and lo and behold! It was magnificent. This, by the way, happened in 2004. So, just to reiterate… we discovered the true nature of the clitoris only, er, FOUR YEARS AGO.
The inner clit is comprised of legs (crura) that run along the length of the vulva and then topped off with more erectile tissue (clitoral clusters) that surrounds the vagina and urethra. So when you get aroused, this whole area fills with blood and becomes more sensitive. It is probably safe to say that the g-spot is in some way connected to these internal clitoral bulbs.
So to answer the question of the day - the clitoris is outside and inside, both small and large, and absolutely positively central to the sexual pleasure of those who possess them.
-Eden
Got a burning question you want answered? Too embarrassed to ask someone who might actually be able to help? Ask Google and maybe it’ll show up under our Search Terms so I can write a column about it!
