The Gräfenberg Spot, often called the G-Spot, is a bean-shaped[1] area of the vagina. Many women report that it is an erogenous zone which, when stimulated, can lead to strong sexual arousal, powerful orgasms and female ejaculation.[2] The Gräfenberg Spot is typically located one to three inches (2.5 to 7.6 cm) up the front (anterior) vaginal wall between the vaginal opening and the urethra[3] and is a sensitive area that may be part of the female prostate.[4]
Although the G-Spot has been studied since the 1940s,[5] disagreement persists over its existence as a distinct structure, definition and location.[6][7][8] A 2009 British study concluded that its existence is unproven and subjective, based on questionnaires and personal experience.[7] It is also hypothesized that the G-Spot is an extension of the clitoris and that this is the cause of vaginal orgasms.[9][10] Other studies, using ultrasound, have found physiological evidence of the G-Spot in women who report having orgasms during intercourse.[7][11]
Sexual psychologists are concerned that women may consider themselves to be dysfunctional if they cannot find their G-Spot.[12] Women have undergone a plastic surgery procedure called G-Spot amplification to enhance its sensitivity.[5]
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The term "G-Spot" was coined by Addiego et al. in 1981,[13] after the German gynecologist Ernst Gräfenberg,[14] even though his 1940s research was dedicated to urethral stimulation and not internal vaginal wall stimulation. The concept entered popular culture after the publication of The G Spot and Other Recent Discoveries About Human Sexuality by Ladas et al. in 1982,[2] but it was criticized immediately by leading gynecologists.[1] They denied its existence as it is not easily found if not aroused and autopsy studies missed this. After the G-Spot was demonstrated for their observation, they changed their minds.[5]
An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 2350 professional women in the United States and Canada with a subsequent 55% return rate. Of these respondents, 40% reported having a fluid release (ejaculation) at the moment of orgasm. Further, 82% of the women who reported the sensitive area (Gräfenberg Spot) also reported ejaculation with their orgasms. A number of variables were associated with this perceived existence of female ejaculation.[15]
While not disputing vaginal responsiveness to stimulation, gynecologists and doctors continue to be skeptical of the existence of a distinct anatomical feature in the G-Spot rub zone.[1][8][16]
In 2001, the Federative Committee on Anatomical Terminology accepted female prostate as an accurate term for the Skene's gland found in the G-Spot area along the walls of the urethra.[4] The male prostate is biologically homologous to the female G-Spot, which was first hypothesized by Regnier de Graaf in 1672 where he observed that the secretions (female ejaculation) by the women's G-Spot "lubricates their sexual parts in agreeable fashion during coitus."[4]
The prostate in men has been unofficially called the male G-Spot because it can also be used as an erogenous zone.[17] It is located where the rectum joins the colon, about 50 mm (2 in) from the anus, and when aroused it is a walnut-shaped swelling.
Links between G-Spot sensitivity and female ejaculation led to the idea that non-urine female ejaculate may originate from the Skene's gland. Tissue examination showed 15 prostate-specific antigens in the gland,[18] leading to a trend of calling the Skene's glands the female prostate.[19] Consequently, it has been argued that the G-Spot is a system of glands and ducts located within the anterior (front) wall of the vagina about one centimeter from the surface.[20] A similar approach has linked the G-Spot with the urethral sponge.[21] The enzyme PDE5 (involved with erectile dysfunction) has been associated with the G-Spot area.[22]
Several researchers consider the connection between the Skene's gland and the G-Spot to be weak.[6][23] They contend that Skene's gland does not appear to have receptors for touch stimulation, and that there is no direct evidence for its involvement.[24]
The G-Spot is typically located about 50 to 80 mm (2 to 3 in) inside the vagina, on the front wall.[5] For some women, stimulating the G-Spot creates a more intense orgasm than clitoral stimulation.[3][25] The G-Spot needs direct stimulation, especially with firm moves and constant pressure as it is ~1 cm below the surface.[20] Stimulating the G-Spot through sexual penetration, especially in the missionary position,[5] is difficult to achieve because of the special angle at which penetration must occur. It is claimed that the best G-Spot stimulation is achieved by using both manual stimulation and sexual intercourse.[3]
Two primary methods have been used to define and locate the G-Spot as a sensitive area in the vagina:[6]
Studies using ultrasound have also been used to identify physiological differences between women[11] and changes to the G-Spot region during sex.[7]
In a published case study of one woman, it was reported that stimulation of the anterior vaginal wall made the area grow by fifty percent and that self-reported levels of arousal/orgasm were "deeper" when the G-Spot was stimulated.[13] Another study examined eleven women by palpating the entire vagina in a clockwise fashion, and reported a specific response to stimulation of the anterior vaginal wall in four of the women.[26]
Researchers at the University of L'Aquila have found, using ultrasonography, that women who experience vaginal orgasm are statistically more likely to have thicker tissue in the anterior vaginal wall.[11] The researchers believe these findings make it possible for women to have a rapid test to confirm whether or not they have a G-Spot.[27] A French study in late 2009 examined a small number of women with ultrasound as they had intercourse, by examining changes in the vagina they found physiological evidence of the G-Spot. The findings are under review by the Journal of Sexual Medicine.[7]
There is some research suggesting that G-Spot and clitoral orgasms are of the same origin. Masters and Johnson were the first to determine that the clitoral structures surround and extend along and within the labia. Upon studying women's sexual response cycle to different stimulation, they observed that both clitoral and vaginal orgasms had the same stages of physical response, and found that the majority of their subjects could only achieve clitoral orgasms, while a minority achieved vaginal orgasms. On this basis, Masters and Johnson argued that clitoral stimulation is the source of both kinds of orgasms.[9][28] Dr. Tim Spector hypothesizes thicker tissue in the G-Spot area may be part of the clitoris and is not a separate erogenous zone.[12] Supporting these conclusions is a 2005 study investigating the size of the clitoris – it found clitoral tissue extends considerably inside the vagina. This discovery indicates clitoral and vaginal orgasms are produced by the same internal source.[10] The main researcher of the studies, Australian urologist Dr. Helen O'Connell, asserts that this interconnected relationship is the physiological explanation for the conjectured G-Spot and experience of vaginal orgasms, taking into account the stimulation of the internal parts of the clitoris during vaginal penetration. "The vaginal wall is, in fact, the clitoris," said O'Connell. "If you lift the skin off the vagina on the side walls, you get the bulbs of the clitoris – triangular, crescental masses of erectile tissue."[10] O'Connell and her team were already aware that the clitoris is more than just its glans – the "little hill". They reasoned that it is possible that some women have more extensive clitoral tissues and nerves than others, and therefore whereas many women can only achieve orgasm by direct stimulation of the external parts of the clitoris, for others the stimulation of the more generalized tissues of the clitoris via intercourse may be sufficient.[10]
G-Spot proponents are criticized for giving too much credence to anecdotal evidence, and for questionable investigative methods: for instance, the studies which have yielded positive evidence for a precisely located G-Spot involve small participant samples.[6]
Scientific examinations of vaginal wall innervation have generally shown that there is no single area with a greater density of nerve endings.[6] A recent study of 110 biopsy specimens drawn from 21 women concluded with the absence of a vaginal locus with greater nerve density.[29] However, while neither the area of the anterior vaginal wall where the G-Spot is said to be located nor the Skene's gland appear to possess them, the urethral sponge, which is thought by some to be homologous to the G-Spot, does contain sensitive nerve endings as well as erectile tissue. It should also be noted that sensitivity is not determined by neuron density alone: other factors include the branching patterns of neuron terminals and cross or collateral innervation of neurons.[30]
The existence of the G-Spot was questioned by a team at King's College London in late 2009. They acquired the largest sample size to date of 1,800 women – who are pairs of twins – and found they did not report a similar G-Spot in a questionnaire, suggesting its existence is subjective.[31] Study co-author Dr. Andrea Burri believes: "It is rather irresponsible to claim the existence of an entity that has never been proven and pressurise women and men too."[32] Burri also stated one of the reasons for the research was to remove feelings of "inadequacy or underachievement" for women who feared they lacked a G-Spot.[33] Dr. Whipple dismissed the findings, commenting that twins have different sexual partners and techniques, and that the study did not properly account for lesbian or bisexual women.[31]
Sexual psychologists are concerned about the promotion of the G-Spot, as it could lead to women feeling "dysfunctional" if they do not experience it. Dr. Petra Boynton, a British scientist who has written extensively on this debate,[34] states:[12]
We're all different. Some women will have a certain area within the vagina which will be very sensitive, and some won't — but they won't necessarily be in the area called the G-Spot. If a woman spends all her time worrying about whether she is normal, or has a G-Spot or not, she will focus on just one area, and ignore everything else. It's telling people that there is a single, best way to have sex, which isn't the right thing to do.
The Journal of Sexual Medicine is planning a debate and publications from both sides of the G-Spot issue.[31]
One of the most common sex toys used in G-Spot stimulation is the specially designed G-Spot vibrator. This is a phallus-like vibrator that has a curved tip which makes G-Spot stimulation very easy. The head of the G-Spot vibrator has a special form and it is a little curved in order to ease the stimulation of the G-Spot.
The level of penetration when using this sex toy depends on every woman because the physiology is not the same in two individuals. The effect of the G-Spot stimulation, no matter which way this is done, may be enhanced by stimulation of the other erogenous zones in a woman's body. These may include the clitoris and labia.[35] These toys are made from the same materials as regular vibrators, including silicone, jelly, rubber or any combination of them.
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