The clitoris has been called the trigger of female desire

Clitoris. This is the Latin word for “that which is closed in.” Closed in by the peak of the labia, the shaft of the clitoris, which is about one inch long, is located about one inch above the entrance to the vagina. At its outer end is a small, rounded body about the size of a pea, which is called the glans, from a Latin word meaning acorn. A fold of skin called the prepuce, or the cli-toral hood, partly covers the glans.

The clitoris has been called the trigger of female desire. It is the most keenly sensitive point a woman has for sexual arousal and has, as far as we know, no other function. Sufficient physical stimulation of the clitoris alone will produce orgasm in nearly all women. For this reason, many have thought that contact between the penis and clitoris is the only important factor in achieving orgasm. Operations have been performed to provide greater exposure of the clitoris. Yet such surgery does not help to attain orgasm and it is apt to cause other problems—for instance, the development of scar tissue, which occurs in any operative procedure. Removal of the clitoral hood exposes the clitoris to trauma, and direct contact with it is likely to bring more discomfort than pleasure.

The area between the urethral opening and the upper shaft of the clitoris is the most sexually sensitive region of a woman's body. During arousal, the labia minora swell and the size of the vaginal opening decreases.

If sexual stimulation causes pain in the clitoris, there may be some rock-hard particles of dried secretion (smegma) beneath some adhesions of the prepuce. These particles can be easily removed, using a small metal probe, and the adhesions will be released. This is a simple procedure done in the doctor’s office, not usually requiring even a local anesthetic. Minor clitoral adhesions can be freed at home using a cotton swab, preferably following a hot bath.

The clitoris sometimes enlarges when caressed, but there is no need for anxiety if it does not. In a study of hundreds of women able to reach orgasm, more than half showed no visible enlargement of the clitoris. Enlargement was only barely noticeable by either sight or touch in others. Most of the enlargement is in diameter, not in length. The size of the clitoris, or its enlargement, has nothing to do with sexual satisfaction or sexual capacity. During the latter stages of sexual arousal, the clitoris is submerged in the engorged surrounding tissues. Therefore, size is never a significant factor in reaching orgasm.

The important points to remember are:
1.    The clitoris must be stimulated either direcdy or indirectiy for the wife to achieve orgasm.
2.    The basic physiologic response of orgasm is the same, no matter what the method of stimulation.
3.    Women often report a subjective difference in feelings produced by the clitoral orgasm and feelings produced by the orgasm achieved during vaginal stimulation.

The essential anatomical fact a couple must learn is the exact location of the clitoris. This can be most precisely determined during the time of sexual arousal by sensitively placing well-lubricated fingertips alongside the shaft of the clitoris, as it extends upward onto the pelvic bone. You will be able to feel it as you move your fingers back and forth the length of the shaft. Also move your fingers across the shaft from side to side. It is similar to rolling your fingers across a very small telephone cord. Persistent, loving, gentle, sensitive, well-lubricated stimulation along this clitoral shaft will bring almost any wife to orgasm within three to twenty minutes. As orgasm is approached, the tempo of the stimulation needs to increase.

When the clitoris is first stimulated in foreplay, very light, gentle, slow caressing usually gives the most satisfaction. In a few seconds, the glans may become overly sensitive or even irritated, and stroking farther up on the shaft, or at the side of the shaft, will give a more pleasurable sensation. When the glans of the clitoris is feeling overly sensitive, the wife may prefer to be stimulated in an entirely different area, such as the breast or the inner thighs, before returning to stimulation of the clitoral area.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 at 3:37 pm and is filed under Understanding the Basics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.