The size of a woman’s clitoral glans (the external portion) and its proximity to the vagina may be factors in her ability to reach orgasm, an American research team has reported.
They estimated that between 18% and 34% of women have difficulty reaching orgasm. Past research has focused on the role of the clitoris in orgasm, but, until now, clitoral anatomy and location has not been widely investigated, they said.
Their study, published online in February in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, involved thirty sexually active premenopausal women with a mean age of 32 and a mean body mass index of 25. Ten of the women were anorgasmic – unable to achieve orgasm. The remaining twenty did not have problems with orgasm.
All participants completed a variety of questionnaires on sexual and general health, including the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Prolapse/Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire-12 (PISQ-12), and the Body Exposure during Sexual Activity Questionnaire (BESAQ).
The women also underwent blood tests that measured serum hormone levels. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without contrast was used to evaluate the genital anatomy of each woman.
The researchers discovered that when compared to the orgasmic women, the anorgasmic women tended to have a smaller clitoral glans. The distance between the clitoris and vagina was also larger for this group. For all of the women, increased distance correlated with lower scores on the PISQ, indicating poorer sexual function.
The researchers also pointed out the role of sexual position in relation to clitoral anatomy. The women tended to prefer vaginal penetration. Sixty percent of the anorgasmic women liked the missionary position. For the orgasmic women, the female dominant position was popular. Each of these positions can involve clitoral contact, but size and location of the clitoris may influence position preference.
These results may be helpful for clinicians who treat women with sexual dysfunction, the authors said.
Resources
The Journal of Sexual Medicine
Oakley, Susan H., MD, et al.
“Clitoral Size and Location in Relation to Sexual Function Using Pelvic MRI”
(Full-text. First published online: February 13, 2014)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsm.12450/full
LiveScience
Gholipour, Bahar
“Women's Orgasm Woes: Could 'C-Spot' Be the Culprit?”
(February 20, 2014)
http://www.livescience.com/43528-clitoris-size-orgasm.html