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The clitoris is the female sexual organ found
where the labia minora, or inner lips, meet. It consists of a rounded area or head, called
the glans, and a longer part, called the shaft, which contains cavernous bodies similar to
those of the penis. The tissue of the inner lips normally covers the shaft of the
clitoris, which makes a hood, or prepuce, to protect it. The only directly visible part of
the clitoris is the glans, which looks like a small, shiny button. The size and shape vary
considerably among women. It can be seen by gently pushing back the skin of the clitoral
hood. There is a high concentration of nerve endings in the clitoris and in the area
immediately surrounding it. The abundance of nerve endings in the clitoris makes it
very sensitive to direct or indirect touch or pressure. Stimulation of the clitoral area
can be very pleasurable. In fact, providing its owner with sexual pleasure is the organ's
only known function, and the clitoris is the only organ in either sex with pleasure as its
sole function. It has nothing to do with getting pregnant, with menstruation, or with
urination.
When a woman becomes sexually aroused, both the glans and the shaft fill with blood and
increase in size. The glans can double in diameter. There is no evidence that a larger
clitoris means more intense sexual arousal. As erotic stimulation continues and orgasm
approaches, the clitoris becomes less visible as it is covered by the swelling of tissues
of the clitoral hood. This swelling is designed to protect the clitoris from direct
contact, which, for some women, can be more irritating than pleasurable. It moves out
again when the stimulation stops.
After orgasm the clitoris returns to its normal size within about ten minutes because
the orgasm leads to a dispersal of the accumulated blood. If the woman doesn't have an
orgasm, the blood that has flowed into the clitoris as a result of sexual arousal may
remain there, keeping the clitoris engorged for a few hours. Many women find this
uncomfortable.
A woman's clitoris can be stimulated through direct or indirect contact. During
intercourse the penis does not contact the clitoris directly. The thrusting of the penis
in the vagina, regardless of the position used, moves the labia minora, and it is this
movement of the lips against the clitoris that usually creates the orgasm. Direct contact
with the clitoris by touching it with a finger, vibrator, or a tongue can cause more
discomfort than pleasure for many women. For these women, more general rubbing or licking
of the area around the clitoris is likely to feel better. Other women enjoy very intense
direct stimulation. There is great variability in sensitivity of the clitoris and each
woman will discover what feels best to her.
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