YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE G SPOT, an area inside a woman’s vagina that purportedly is associated with extraordinary sexual pleasure. But let’s put the elusive G spot aside; researchers now focus on the brain part that responds to genital touch.
While we often first associate orgasm with pleasure, it has numerous health benefits. Physical and sexual health are associated.
For example, many who have cramping associated with menstrual cycles find that the orgasm-related release of endorphins and corticosteroids can help relieve pain.
Did you know that women who have regular sex have a diminished chance of suffering from heart disease or type 2 diabetes? Moreover, you can get an immune system boost.
Orgasm and the G spot
Today is not about the somewhat elusive G spot, but let’s take a moment to talk about it. Dr. Beverly Whipple introduced the Gräfenberg spot after discovering that using a “come here” motion along the inside of the vagina produced a physical response in women.
Dr. Whipple believed that this region could be essential to women achieving orgasm. In reality, the G spot is not a distinct anatomical spot.
Instead, the G spot a is part of the clitoral network. When researchers tried to find the G spot, they could not; they entitled their research study “The “G-Spot” Is Not a Structure Evident on Macroscopic Anatomic Dissection of the Vaginal Wall.”
Stimulate the so-called G spot, and you are affecting a part of the clitoris. The pea-sized part that most are aware of is only the tip of the clitoris; the latter divides into two roots that can be approximately four inches long. There is significant variability among women, however.
When stimulated, the G spot can cause female ejaculation and help women reach vaginal orgasm.
Orgasm and the brain: Introducing the C spot
Let’s move on from the G spot to a newer area of interest: The C spot. There is a brain region known as the somatosensory cortex. It is a region related to sensations such as pain, pressure, or warmth.
It has historically been challenging to pinpoint the exact location for sensory stimulation of the clitoris. One reason for the failure? The site in the brain caries among women.
The new study offers insights into the brain area and the variability among women. Interestingly, the size of the brain area differed by how frequently a woman reported having sex in the last year.
The research included 20 healthy women. None were menstruating during the study.
The women underwent magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging while wearing disposable underwear with a device placed over their clitoral region. The device vibrated to stimulate the area.
The researchers compared the brain images from this sensory experience to ones from women stimulating the back of their right hands with the same device.
My Take
By identifying the brain area (and variation) associated with clitoral-related orgasms, the study may help us develop management approaches for those with sexual dysfunction or dissatisfaction.
In addition, this is the first time that researchers associated sex frequency with the size of the brain structure related to clitoral touch.
