Unlike joysticks, which are front and center, the clitoris is often shrouded in folds of skin and remains a bit of a mystery. Science—let alone sex ed—hasn't exactly gone out of its way to understand this amazing organ until fairly recently. In fact, research shows the clitoris was even omitted in an early version of the gold standard medical textbook Gray's Anatomy, and no scientist bothered to create a 3D image of what a stimulated clitoris looks like until French researchers finally did it a mere seven years ago, in 2009.

To clear up some common misconceptions and become more "clit literate," we enlisted the expertise of Leah Millheiser, M.D., director of the female sexual medicine program at Stanford University Medical Center. Here are seven things you probably don't know about one of your most pleasurable parts.

1. The clitoris is more sensitive than the penis.
The clitoris is actually leagues ahead. The tiny organ has about 8,000 sensory nerve fibers, according to the Museum of Sex, which is nearly twice the amount found in the head of the penis. "The clitoral glans—the part we see—have more nerve endings than any other area on the human body," notes Millheiser. That's also why direct pressure on the clitoris often feels too intense, even painful in some cases, rather than pleasurable. "Women will say direct stimulation is very uncomfortable," she says. Instead, stimulating the hood of the clitoris (the skin covering it) may be better for arousal.

2. It's a lot longer than you might think.
The clitoris may look like a small knob, but like an iceberg, there's much more going on beneath the surface. On average, it's 11 centimeters long so you can't see the majority of it, notes Millheiser. "The part you see is the clitoral glans, but there's another 10 centimeters that surrounds the vagina," she tells SELF. "It branches into 'legs'–it almost looks like a wishbone." In fact, a small study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine using ultrasound suggests that the center of gravity is actually part of the clitoris.

3. But it shouldn't stick out.
"If women are noticing that their clitoris in its resting state is sticking out from under the clitoral hood or they've noticed a recent increase in the size in a non-aroused state, it might be a sign of a cyst or benign mass or a sign of too much testosterone," explains Millheiser. "That needs to be evaluated by your doctor."'

4. It's has a bigger influence on orgasms than you'd imagine.
Despite what you see in movies and porn, most women can't reach orgasm through vaginal penetration alone, according to the Mayo Clinic. Instead, many need to have their clitoris involved through direct or indirect stimulation to reach the big O. And that shouldn't come as a surprise considering that the clitoris has only one purpose: pleasure.

5. It won't necessarily stay the same size your whole life.
As women approach and go through menopause, it's common to have some vulvo-vaginal atrophy (whomp whomp) thanks to the drop in sex hormones estrogen and testosterone. "As a result, the clitoris gets smaller," notes Millheiser. Unfortunately, that makes it more challenging to climax and when you do, orgasms are often not as intense.

6. It's not always in the exact same spot.
And where it's located matters. A 2014 study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that if the clitoris is located too far away from the vaginal opening, the more likely a woman is to have difficulty reaching orgasm. In the study, the researchers found that women whose clitoris was an average of 5 to 6 millimeters away from the vaginal opening reported rarely or never reaching orgasm.

7. It gets bigger when you're aroused.
When you're turned on, blood rushes to the clitoris, causing it to swell. "About 30 to 15 seconds before a woman has an orgasm, called the plateau phase, the clitoris gets pulled up into the clitoral hood," says Millheiser. At the same time, the top part of the vagina also swells—it actually gets bigger. "There's a ballooning effect of the upper one-third of the vagina," she explains, "likely to give more space for a penis and possibly ejaculation."

8.Every woman's is different

Women are all unique, so why would clitorises be any different? Every woman needs a different kind of stimulation to feel satisfied, depending on her unique biology. “Just because it's sensitive doesn't mean everyone wants it to be stimulated directly," Herbenick says. "Some women prefer touching near the clitoris but not on it.” Pfaus agrees: “If she’s too sensitive with direct stimulation, more of that may make her want to kill you.”

ladies add yours i know they are special to you...hahahaha

This op and sex related topics.

kimbraa:
This op and sex related topics.

what can i say...i love women alot and p*ussy

cristianisraeli:


what can i say...i love women alot and p*ussy

I understand.

Na wa!

Very informative...

Atlantia:
Very informative...

nice!!!

I'm just wondering what inspired this OP to create a topic like this...
Good one though.

internationalman:
I'm just wondering what inspired this OP to create a topic like this...

Good one though.

thanks man

i get my inspiration from women i see everyday,i feel like i want them all.lol and yes i truly want them all.call me solomon

i love to study the female body and it helps me explore the body the way i want to

i believe love making is like acting a movie and its pure art

i am not selfish and believe both parties needs to enjoy it

because of how i treat women,i mostly get it for free..yes for free

damn!!! i love all you ladies..lol

cristianisraeli:


thanks man

i get my inspiration from women i see everyday,i feel like i want them all.lol and yes i truly want them all.call me solomon

i love to study the female body and it helps me explore the body the way i want to

i believe love making is like acting a movie and its pure art

i am not selfish and believe both parties needs to enjoy it

because of how i treat women,i mostly get it for free..yes for free

damn!!! i love all you ladies..lol

please could you clue me in on how u treat them that makes u get them all for free?

internationalman:

please could you clue me in on how u treat them that makes u get them all for free?

hahaha

first thing be extremely nice..i dont me be a maga no.i can smell that from miles away and i will run

but in real life am a nice dude to both men and women,but am extremely nice to women

dont show all your hand

ladies love suprises..thats my magic..give them something before they ask,if a lady ask me for something i might not give her,but i can give her without her asking..am the kind of guy that believe in doing the right thing

open doors for them..yes i still do it and even for women i dont know

lastly please them on bed first before pleasing your self.give them a crazy pre intimacy,calm down and dont be selfish remember i said love making is like a movie or art...touch them and make them cum first.before you penetrate.when i mean cum it must be visible because her legs will be shaking when she cums and she would hold you(infact you would hear baby am cumming..lol).now that is when you penetrate it works like magic.trust me the lady will keep coming back for more and by then you wont spend a dime

kimbraa:
This op and sex related topics.

it is always good to take care of the clitoris

cristianisraeli:


hahaha

first thing be extremely nice..i dont me be a maga no.i can smell that from miles away and i will run

but in real life am a nice dude to both men and women,but am extremely nice to women

dont show all your hand

ladies love suprises..thats my magic..give them something before they ask,if a lady ask me for something i might not give her,but i can give her without her asking..am the kind of guy that believe in doing the right thing

open doors for them..yes i still do it and even for women i dont know

lastly please them on bed first before pleasing your self.give them a crazy pre intimacy,calm down and dont be selfish remember i said love making is like a movie or art...touch them and make them cum first.before you penetrate.when i mean cum it must be visible because her legs will be shaking when she cums and she would hold you(infact you would hear baby am cumming..lol).now that is when you penetrate it works like magic.trust me the lady will keep coming back for more and by then you wont spend a dime

bad guy
but how do u make dem cum without penetration.. don't tell me it's what I'm thinking