Just because the clitoris is mostly hidden away, it doesn’t have to remain a mystery. What people usually refer to as the clitoris (the bit that you can see on the outside) is actually just a small part called the “clitoral glans”. This little bulb is less than a quarter of the entire clitoris, which extends far inside a woman’s body. To boost your cliteracy levels even more, we reveal some little-known facts about this erogenous zone that will leave your jaw hanging:
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The clitoris is a magical little button that actually isn’t little at all. Beyond the pea-sized nub that you can see on the outside of a woman’s body, there’s a three- to five-inch-long structure that stems inward along the vaginal canal and around her urethra. In fact, an average penis is about the same size and weight as the clitoris.
When we were little zygotes inside our mummies tummies, we all had the same genital tissue which differentiated into penises and vaginas at about 12 weeks. So the clitoris is basically the same as a penis – it has glans, a foreskin, contains erectile tissue and forms a small shaft. It even swells when aroused, just like a penis.
It contains about 8,000 nerve endings, earning it the title of the most sensitive part of the human body. It’s even more sensitive than the penis, which only has about 4,000 nerve endings. The clitoris is also twice as sensitive as your fingertips, tongue or lips! So treat your fun zone gently the next time you get frisky in bed.
By the time you hit menopause, your clitoris might be up to 2.5 times bigger than it was when you were a teenager. It isn’t because it’s stretching out. It’s actually just because of rapid hormonal changes in your body. The growth only occurs over a very small area, so the change in size won’t be very noticeable.
Despite the wear and tear we go through as we mature, the clitoris never actually ages. Hear us out: once it’s mature, the clit remains at its sexual peak for the rest of our lives. That means you’ll have the same orgasmic capacity at 95 years old as you did when you were in your twenties. Yay!
It isn’t just there for nothing. The clitoral hood, which can also be seen externally, is a lot like the foreskin of a man’s penis. Officially known as the commissure, think of it as your clit’s bodyguard that keeps all that sensitive tissue safe from irritants.
Use it or lose it! What do we mean by that? Your clitoris needs exercise to keep it healthy and in tip-top shape. A lack of blood flow to the area could cause a rare condition known as clitoral atrophy. That’s when it withdraws into the body or the hood fuses and covers the clitoris head and shaft.
The clit’s only purpose is to act as a personal pleasure zone. It is the only part of the female body whose main function is to serve as pleasure. That is it’s one and only job so the next time you want to dismiss your clitoris when it comes to sexual pleasure, think again!