Elephants and Tea - March 2022 - 11

brain says " Yes! That's sexually exciting, and we've got some time to dedicate
to this party! " , the arousal response is reinforced and amplified. Signs of
physiological arousal can include flushed skin; increased heart rate, blood
pressure, and breathing; vaginal lubrication; and a heightened sensitivity
to touch. With the right amount and type of sustained stimulation, the
threshold that triggers the orgasm reflex is reached, and orgasm occurs2
.
WHY DO ORGASMS SOMETIMES...NOT HAPPEN?
Even though an orgasm is technically a reflex (kind of like a sneeze), it can
take some finesse and skill to trigger it. For women and vulva-owners
especially, there appears to be a sort of learning curve to this phenomenon7
women learn and practice what techniques work for them2,7
.
This is evidenced by the fact that more frequent orgasms are associated with
age and experience7,11
; and that the capacity to orgasm seems to develop as
.
Plus, the key word here is threshold - the orgasm reflex is triggered
when a threshold of stimulation and arousal is reached. Anything that
gets in the way of building the arousal needed to get to that threshold
can get in the way of an orgasm. What it takes to reach this point is
different for everyone, and it can even change for the same person depending
on the situation or context4
. What works on one day or with
one partner (or by yourself!) may not work in a different circumstance.
The one thing that most orgasms do have in common, however, is the
clitoris. For the majority of women, orgasms don't happen without at
least some amount of clitoral stimulation.
WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE CLITORIS?
If you feel a little clueless about where the clitoris is or what it does, join the
club! Unfortunately, this sexual organ is often inaccurately portrayed in
human anatomy and completely ignored in sex ed. Even medical professionals
have been misinformed, since the clitoral structure was frequently
left out of anatomy textbooks for years7
. Talk about erasing female sexuality!
However, when it comes to orgasms, the clitoris is most certainly the
MVP. If it were up to me, every clitoris would come with an owner's
manual that detailed the operation and maintenance of this unique
organ, whose only purpose is to provide sexual pleasure.
* Clitoral Structure
Anatomical descriptions often refer to the clitoris as a button- or
pea-sized external genital structure located just above the urethral
opening (where pee leaves the body). This is actually called the glans,
and it's the part of the clitoris that you can see from the outside. The
glans is made of erectile tissue and packed with nerve endings that
make it highly sensitive to touch, and it's covered by a protective skin
called the clitoral hood, or prepuce.
But the glans is only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, because
most of the clitoral structure is actually hidden internally. The glans
is attached to the internal body (or shaft) of the clitoris, which extends
back 2-4 centimeters before curving down and splitting into two
lengths of erectile tissue called crura. Together, the glans, body and
two crura are attached at the root of the clitoris. This whole structure
looks a lot like a wishbone, and can measure 10 cm (about 4 inches)
or more7,12
! Two additional structures of erectile tissue extend down
from the root of the clitoris separately from the crura to form the
vestibular (or clitoral) bulbs.
For a 3D visual, check out the YouTube video from Slate listed at
the end of the article8
, or Google it!
THE G-SPOT CONTROVERSY
The term " Gräfenberg Spot " (later shortened to
" G-spot " ) was coined by the authors of a medical case
study published in the 1980's, in which they described a
woman who could experience an orgasm in response
to stimulation of the anterior (front) wall of her vagina.
This term was a nod to the earlier work of German
gynecologist Ernst Gräfenberg, who had earlier identified
and described a similar area that seemed particularly
sensitive to sexual stimulation in some of his research
subjects12
.
However, these observations hardly proved the concept,
and the G-spot hasn't held up under subsequent scientific
scrutiny. Researchers have not been able to objectively
prove the existence of such a structure from an
anatomical, neurovascular, or histological standpoint7,10,12
;
nor has there been any convincing evidence of a
difference between " vaginal orgasms " and " clitoral
orgasms. "
What the evidence does bear out, however, is that the
internal components of the clitoris are in close proximity
with the vaginal canal and the urethra, and can actually
be stimulated through the anterior vaginal wall located
at an area suspiciously close to the supposed G-spot7,10
.
Additionally, the reported feeling of thickness or swelling
in that area of the vagina during the arousal phase of
sexual response is likely related to the engorgement of
the clitoral tissue pressing against the vaginal wall7
. This
helps explain why many women DO subjectively report an
especially sexually sensitive area at this location.
Further, the reason why some women orgasm with penispartnered
sex while other don't may be as simple as the
anatomical variance between women4
. Where the clitoral
structures are in relation to the external vaginal opening
and internal vaginal canal may be a little different for each
person, leading to differences in stimulation during sex.
So, different women have different experiences because,
well, their bodies are all built a little differently!
In conclusion, the idea that stimulating a specific area
of the vaginal wall can produce pleasurable sensations
or even orgasms for some women is not really under
dispute. This has been subjectively reported by women,
and there is measurable evidence the vaginal stimulation
produces physiological arousal responses. It just doesn't
appear to be related to some unique tissue or special
anatomical structure - the most likely scenario is that
the clitoris is simply getting titillated from a different
direction. Who knew!?
ELEPHANTSANDTEA.COM
MARCH 2022
11
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Elephants and Tea - March 2022

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