The G, or Not the G?

The BBC recently reported on a study conducted by the Kings College in London where researches interviewed 1,800 women and concluded that the G-spot, the Holy Grail of erogenous zones, was nothing more than “a figment of women’s imaginations, encouraged by magazines and sex therapists.”

Some accepted these findings with a nod of approval, whereas others flooded the internet with cries of outrage. Either way, the G-spot has always been an area of controversy, and it seems as if it will continue to elude, mystify and bewilder health care professionals, researches, sex therapists and adult lovers everywhere.

One can’t help but wonder what the world has to gain through the vast G-spot conspiracy. If this Shangri-La of sexy spots is indeed a figment of the imagination, why are so many people convinced otherwise? Is it really nothing more than sensationalist hype?

Just what is the G-spot? What is it not? Why does everyone talk about it but no one seems to really know what it is? How does it work, and where does it come from?  Why are so many people keen to either prove or disprove its existence?

Over 50 years ago, German gynecologist Ernst Gräfenberg wrote about a “mystical erogenous zone” and this Mecca of pleasure was later called the G-Spot in a 1981 publication, The G-spot and Other Recent Discoveries about Human Sexuality. The paper and G-spot theory have sense been heavily criticized.

The G-spot is said to be located about a finger’s length inside the upper wall of the vagina, about one to three inches. Nina Hartley, in her Guide to Total Sex, explains the G-spot as a “back door” to the clit. “The clitoris turns out to be more extensive than just the shaft, glans, and hood visible outside of the body,” she writes. “Under adequate stimulation, the entire clitoris and surrounding pelvic muscles engorge with blood, giving a woman an internal erection much akin to a man’s external one.”

Anatomically, the clitoris is made of the same tissue as the penis. Just as male penile tissue may extend through the body to the prostate (often called the male G-spot), so may the clitoris extend through to the interior of the vaginal wall. Because of this familiar anatomy, wouldn’t it make sense for the G-spot to give women as much pleasure when properly stimulated as the prostate gives men?

In theory, women experience clitoral, vaginal, and mixed orgasms. “You’ll see that every woman comes in a different way,” writes Nina Hartley, “and often the same woman comes in different ways, depending on the circumstances.”

Though, when stimulated, the G-spot is said to create more intense orgasms than clitoral stimulation alone. Italian researchers at the University of L’Aquila claim that through using ultrasounds they have found that women who experience vaginal orgasms have ticker tissue in their anterior vaginal wall, that is, where the G-spot is said to exist.

While some researches claim that this tissue may be thicker for other reasons, Dr. Tim Spector of Kings College says that the thicker vaginal tissue isn’t a separate erogenous zone, but just part of the clitoris. Thus, the G-spot doesn’t exist, but rather it’s just the clitoris extending both inside and out. This is one of the major controversies surrounding the G-spot as researchers can’t quite agree whether or not the G-spot is its own organ or if it’s just an extension of the clitoris.

Does it really matter if the G-spot is its own special place, or if it’s connected to the clit? Does this specific naming of anatomy really make a difference in the end, when really all that matters is the pleasure women are experiencing?

Researchers at Kings College interviewed the largest number of women in any G-spot study yet, 1,800 identical and fraternal twins. In theory, if one identical twin said she had a G-spot her twin sister would claim to have one as well. This, however, didn’t prove to be the case for the Kings College study, where “identical twins were no more likely to have a G-spot than non-identical twins who share only half of their genes.” Thus Dr. Spector concluded that it is “virtually impossible to find any real traits” proving the G-spot’s existence.

Andrea Burri, author of the study, was concerned that women who hadn’t found their G-spot might feel inadequate, and that the myth of the G-spot put undue pressure on both men and women. “It is rather irresponsible to claim the existence of an entity that has never been proven,” she said to the BBC.

Dr. Petra Boynton at University College London gave the BBC great advice when she said “it’s fine to go looking for the G-spot but do not worry if you don’t find it.” This may be good to keep in mind in a world where society is wrought with impossible-to-fulfill expectations. All bodies are different, and especially when it comes to sexual anatomy it’s important to remember that there are no norms.

Burri is correct to say that women shouldn’t feel inadequate if they haven’t found their G-spot. Every body is different, just as every sexual experience is different. Some women are multi-orgasmic, some can only have one, and some don’t come at all. If the G-spot is nothing more than a tiny, spongy bit of muscle, it could be easily lost, missing or hard to find in the complex world of the vagina.

The G-spot isn’t the key to complete sexual fulfillment, but a skilled lover and an open mind sure do help. Most of all, it can be fun to explore the whole vaginal area and all of its delicious nooks and crannies. Even if the G-spot isn’t anywhere to be found, other special erogenous zones are sure to be discovered.

As imagined, not everyone in the sex and health community agree with the recent findings. Sexologist Beverly Whipple pointed out that the study only interviewed heterosexual women and neglected to consider the possibility of finding the G-spot through a wide variety of sexual experiences including multiple sex partners and trying new and varied sexual positions.

Whipple told the BBC that these factors were important because “every sexual encounter is different”. Unfortunately, many people never fully realize their own sexual potential. They are sometimes too afraid to explore their bodies or the body of their lover. Sometimes a sexual partner is unwilling to try new things or to put forth a little extra effort to ensure mutual pleasure. Often people are just too afraid to focus much on foreplay or adventurous sexual positions that might stimulate whole areas of the vagina from new and exciting angles.

When it comes to sexual research, respondents often over-exaggerate, under-exaggerate, or even lie. Further criticisms of the study includes the fact that it was based off of stories and antidotal evidence and that the sample size, though the largest up-to-date, is still small compared to other scientific studies.

Furthermore, just because two women happen to be identical twins doesn’t mean they share the exact same identical sexual history. Like any other two women, twins have different sexual partners and techniques. While one sister may have found her G-spot, the other may still be waiting for that extra special lover to curl her toes and push her pleasure to new heights.

The G-spot, if it does exist, takes time and practice to find. Even once it is found it takes a little effort to figure out what to do with it once you’re there. But for those of us who have found our G-spot (or at least think we have), we all remember that magical moment when things came together in just the right way to let us know that something was definitely special.

But in the quest for sexual perfection, some women are resorting to surgery to improve their sexual gratification. Clinics like Beverly Hills Health and Beauty boast their G-spot augmentation surgery as the “latest in sexual enhancement.”

Dr. Dolores Kent’s website brags that “one pilot study found that 87 percent of subjects reported enhanced sexual arousal and gratification after receiving enhancement of their G-spots.” That is to say, they injected a dose of human collagen directly into their vagina.

Patients must first pinpoint where their G-spot is, which might prove to be difficult depending on levels of sensitivity or familiarly with one’s anatomy. The now pronounced G-spot should result in greater and faster sexual responses, though the body will absorb the collagen within a few short months.

Dr. Kent, who has been offering the procedure since 2007, says, “[The G-spot] may be elusive to scientists as well as many husbands, but women who have found it, say they know they have it.”

That’s quite a claim, but it can be hard to argue with. Perhaps exposure to the sex industry gives one a bias, but it was impossible to find anyone who hadn’t found their G-spot, or who denied its existence.

Vickie in Raleigh says absolutely she has a G-spot. As a middle-aged woman who shared a swinger lifestyle with her lover J, she hadn’t thought much about Dr. Gräfenberg until a female partner found her special place a few years ago.

“She touched it and I thought I had to pee!” Vickie said with a laugh. After finding Vickie’s G-spot, the female lover carefully showed J where it was located, and even shared techniques that could make Vickie’s mind spin and body soar.

As an adult movie and toy reviewer, Georga is exposed to a lot of sex. Aside from disagreeing with the survey methods, she pointed out that many other studies have been conducted that prove of the G-spot’s existence. “Why is it hard for people to wrap their brain around the fact that there is a spot on a woman that is more sensitive than other spots?” she asked.

If the clitoris is already accepted as a female erogenous zone, Georga wonders, why not a second spot as well? “Guys worry if they are big enough,” she says, and “women feel if they are wired differently than everyone else something is wrong with them.”

When considering the G-spot and sexual health, it’s vitally important to realize that not everyone will enjoy the same sensations in the same places. Suffering from unfortunate sexual health issues, Georga says most vibrators and others toys cause her more pain than pleasure, but toys like G-spot vibrators sometimes work out well, depending on where she is in her cycle.

G-spot toys are specifically designed for easy stimulation of the G-spot. Often curved just so, they usually aren’t for thrusting or vibrations alone, though a whole plethora or options are available to suit one’s specific desires and needs.

For something that might not exist, G-spot toys are plentiful. Adam and Eve list 125 separate items, while Hustler Hollywood offers over 850 G-spot or G-spot related products. Though Mypleasure.com only lists 37 toys, the website does include tips, advice and articles on this special, controversial erogenous zone.

“Everyone experiences sensations differently,” Georga says. “Personally, I think everyone just needs to get over it all and quit over-thinking and over analyzing it. If your partner says something feels good, do that.”

Despite the controversy of the G-spot, this is simple enough advice that is pertinent beyond the G-spot, and applicable to all areas of one’s bedroom adventures!

Sources:

http://www.adameve.com
http://www.mypleasure.com
http://www.beverlyhillshealthandbeauty.com
http://news.bbc.co.uk
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.hustlerhollywood.com
http://commons.wikimedia.org
Nina Hartley’s Guide to Total Sex by Nina Hartley with I. S. Levine, Avery Publishing, 2006