12 facts about the clitoris

It is much more than a small button in a woman's vagina. The clitoris hides under the skin like an iceberg and it was only in 1998 that scientists realized what it really looks like. We have made a list of interesting facts about the woman's pleasure center.

What is the Clitoris?

The visible part - that is, the clitoral hood and clitoral areola - is located where the inner labia meet, closest to the mons venus and the stomach. For more information about the internal structure - see number two in the list below.

Now that you know the parts of the clitoris, it's time for the list of 12 facts about the clitoris.

1. The clitoris serves more purposes than pleasure

Researchers show that clitoral stimulation also fulfills several reproductive functions in a 2019 research report:

• Raises blood pressure and heart rate to improve vaginal blood circulation.
• Increases vaginal lubrication which results in painless vaginal penetration.
• Increases the oxygen content of the vagina (blood gas pO2), which facilitates sperm motility, among other things.
• Contributes partially to neutralizing the PH value in the woman's vagina.
• Delays sperm transport time from the vagina through vaginal tenting and inflation.
• Increases the temperature of the vagina, which increases the man's arousal.

2. The clitoris is the tip of the iceberg

The part of the clitoris that is visible is only the tip of the iceberg. The majority of it is hidden inside the woman's body and is about eight centimeters long.

3. More sensitive than a man's glans penis

With 8,000 nerve endings, no other human organ is as sensitive as the clitoris. By comparison, the tip of the penis only has about 4,000 nerve endings.

8,000 nerve endings make a woman's organ the most sensitive organ in the human body.

4. The clitoris grows throughout life

Just like ears and noses, the clitoris never stops growing. By the time a woman reaches menopause, her clitoris will be about five times the size it was when she was a teenager.

5. Life doesn't begin with a clitoris

For decades, researchers have claimed that all fetuses are feminine as a starting point and that all humans would therefore have had a clitoris regardless of gender.

However, research shows that this is not true. Biologists have shown that the protein COUP-TFII actively determines the sex of female fetuses – just as it does for male fetuses.

Both sexes therefore do not start as female, but instead from the same genderless template.

6. Orgasm through clitoral stimulation

An analysis of 33 studies conducted over the past 85 years shows that between 50 and 75 percent of all women only orgasm if the clitoris is stimulated. In other words, "regular" intercourse is rarely what leads to a woman's orgasm.

7. Can contract

During an orgasm, the clitoris contracts in pumping movements. A clitoral orgasm usually involves three to 16 contractions and varies between 10 and 30 seconds.

The clitoris can contract. Not unlike a turtle's head retracting into its shell.

8. Placement is crucial

Research has shown that the closer the clitoris is to the vaginal opening, the easier it is for a woman to have an orgasm. Throughout history, many women have tried – without success – to move the clitoris closer to the vaginal opening through surgery in the pursuit of an orgasm.

The most famous woman in history to undergo a failed surgical procedure is Princess Marie Bonaparte – great-granddaughter of Napoleon's brother Lucien.

Princess Marie Bonaparte underwent an unsuccessful surgical procedure on her abdomen.

9.Clitoris erects

Just like a penis, the clitoris can also become erect when a woman becomes aroused. Like its male counterpart, the female organ is also an erectile organ that fills with blood during sexual arousal.

10. The world's largest clitoris

All mammals have them, but hyenas have the largest in relation to their size. These scavengers' clitoris resembles a penis. It is long, hangs outside the body, and can become rigid.

Female hyenas even have a hole on top of their counterparts that they urinate out of, give birth through, and mate using.

11. We've only known about the anatomy of the clitoris for 21 years

The clitoris was a mystery to scientists for a long time. It wasn't until 1998 that Australian urologist Helen O'Connell managed to map the anatomy of the clitoris. She did this using MRI scans of a number of women's vaginas.

All the illustrations you have seen of a clitoris are actually simplifications as it is impossible - in a two-dimensional image - to depict the entire structure, which consists of several planes.

12. The word means key

The word clitoris comes from ancient Greek. Linguists believe it comes from the word kleitoris, which roughly meant small mound.

Another suggestion is that the word means key - an indication that the clitoris is the key to female sexuality.

Source: Illustrated Science