1. This is what the clitoris looks like:

 

 

2. The clitoris is a bit like buried treasure. Most of it is not visible to us. The little nubbin we can see and touch, and which we call the clitoris? That’s just the tip of a much bigger structure inside. In fact, it can be up to 20 times the length inside! 

 

 

3. It has an abundance of nerve endings. 8,000 in fact, which is double the number of nerve endings in the whole penis. That’s an impressive number, making it a hyper-sensitive area with a splendid capacity to create pleasure! For comparison, the fingertips have around 2,500 receptors.

 

 

4. The clitoris is the woman’s most sensitive erogenous zone. It is the primary source of female sexual pleasure.  Research shows that 1/2 – 3/4 of women need to have their clitoris stimulated in order to climax. Therefore, very few women are able to achieve an orgasm without any kind of clitoral involvement.

 

 

5. The clitoris grows! A post-menopausal clitoris can be double the size compared to when it was a teenage clitoris.

 

 

6. The clitoris gets a boner! It engorges when it is aroused, becoming harder and bigger, before returning to its normal size after orgasm. So a lady boner is ACTUALLY a thing. Whilst behaving very similarly to the penis, it also has lots of anatomical similarities too. Did you know that the clitoris has a glans, a foreskin (aka the hood), erectile tissue and a very small shaft?

 

A: CLITORIS

B: PENIS

 

 

7. The clitoris is the only organ in the human body designed purely to give pleasure. That’s its sole and unique purpose. Nature has bestowed such a gift upon women!

 

 

8. Each clitoris is different! They vary in size and shape, woman to woman. Some are very visible, some are hidden under the clitoral hood, some like to be touched very softly, some like lots of pressure. There is no ‘one trick fits all’ strategy when it comes to arousing the clitoris because every woman has her own unique biology and set of preferences. So get exploring! And when you are with a sexual partner, make sure there is lots of communication flowing about the individual way your clitoris likes to be stimulated!

 

 

9. There are studies that suggest that a woman’s ability to orgasm during penetrative sex depends on the distance between the clitoris and vagina. It’s been proposed that women whose clitorises are further away from their vaginal openings find it harder to reach climax during sexual intercourse.

 

 

10. The G Spot is actually part of the clitoris.

 

 

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Illustration by Bronwen Bender

www.bronwenbender.com / @brownen.bender