The clitoris, a reproductive organ that is critical to women’s sexual pleasure, has long been misunderstood and under-studied.
Until now, thanks to researcher Ju Young Lee of Amsterdam University Medical Center in the Netherlands, and her team – who together have created what she called “the first-ever 3D map of the nerves within the glans of the clitoris.”
By conducting extensive, high-energy x-rays of two pelvises of individuals who donated their organs to science, Lee and the team were able to map out the complex web of nerves to an unprecedented degree – and the work has already corrected some long-held misconceptions about its construction and functionality, Lee adds.
Other experts in the field are thrilled to have this new knowledge. Georga Longhurst, the head of anatomical sciences at St George’s University of London, told The Guardian that this information can improve surgical outcomes for patients, thanks to “the high-resolution images within the glans, the most sensitive part of the clitoris,” especially because “these terminal nerve branches are impossible to see during dissection.”
In addition, this new mapping is also helpful in treating those who have been subjected to genital mutilation, a misogynistic practice forced upon millions of girls the world over to this day. Lee says that her map of the clitoral region could lead to better results for patients undergoing reconstructive surgery following that procedure.
It’s refreshing to see people in the medical world dedicating their research to this matter, says Helen O’Connell, a urologist based in Melbourne. “It has been deleted intellectually by the medical and scientific community,” she noted to The Guardian, a trend she attributes to “societal ignorance.”
Which is why, in addition to the benefits for surgical patients, O’Connell emphasizes that a heightened understanding of clitoral function is good for everyone – just like orgasms themselves. “Orgasm is a brain function that leads to improved health and wellbeing as well as having positive implications for human relationships.”
