Do you have the ability and
the sexual self-confidence
to make love for as long as
you want - in fact, until
you decide to
ejaculate?
This comprehensive, simple
and effective guide to
getting control over your
ejaculation will teach you
all you need to know about
making sex into a long
lasting affair! Get complete
control now by clicking on
the link below!
Women's
sexual anatomy 1: The vulva, vagina and
G-spot
Women's
sexual organs are, apart from the breasts,
not very visible, and are mostly located
inside the body. Somehow, there also seems
to be less clarity about what the different
parts are and how they work compared to men.
This is especially true for the G-spot and
female erectile tissues, the very existence
of which is questioned by some people.
Let's
start with the visible bits, which are
called the vulva (or pudendum) in women.
First is the mons pubis, or mound of Venus.
In adult women this is the area above the
genitals which is covered in pubic hair.
Underneath the skin are layers of fatty
tissue which absorb and cushion some of the
pressure during intercourse.
Further
down lie two sets of skin folds, which
surround the vaginal opening. The outside
set of skin folds, or labia majora (a single
one is known as a labium majus), are covered
with pubic hair on the outside and are made
up of a large bulk of fatty tissue. They
contain oil and sweat glands, which help to
keep the area moist on the inside. The labia
majora are derived from the same fetal
tissue as the male scrotum.
The
next set of skin folds, which protect the
vaginal opening, are the labia minora
(singular: labium minus). These smaller
labia do not have hair or contain fatty
tissue, and they have only a few sweat
glands. What they do contain is erectile
tissue and oil glands. During sexual arousal
the labia minora will fill with blood and
change size and color. They are derived from
the tissues which go on to build the spongy
penile urethra in male babies.
The
clitoris is located at the junction of the
labia minora.
It's
a small, two or three cm long cylindrical
body which is doubled over on itself. Like
the glans of the penis in men it is made up
of erectile tissue and full of nerve
endings. The clitoris enlarges during sex
and is the focus of much of the sexual
stimulation registered by a woman's brain. A
layer of skin called the "hood" or
"prepuce", which is formed from
the joining of the labia minora, covers the
clitoris, though it can be pushed back to
reveal the shiny surface of the clitoral
glans. The clitoris can be extremely
sensitive to touch, especially friction,
which can result in pain rather than
pleasure if a woman is not sexually aroused.
Touch becomes more pleasurable when the
tissues are aroused and filled with blood, a
fact which is true of much of the female
genitals. As with other parts of the
female body, the genitals are really
individual in their shape, size and look.
There is no standard way your genitals need
to look - whatever they look like, they are
OK as they are, and like millions of other
women's.
The
area between the labia minora is called the
vestibule. It contains the vaginal opening,
the external opening of the urethra (the
outlet through which you pee), and the
openings for the paraurethral and greater
vestibular glands, plus a few other smaller
glands as well. The opening of the urethra
lies above the vaginal opening and below the
clitoris. You may not be able to see this
small opening, but you might be able to feel
it when you touch it: the sensations
connected with it are similar to those
associated with peeing. And even if you
don't find it, looking for it can be a
pretty pleasurable endeavor! (Use of a
mirror and a bright light are recommended
here, and perhaps the assistance of a
sympathetic partner as well, if you have
one.)
The
vaginal opening leads into the muscular
cavity of the vagina. The paired
paraurethral glands, which open externally
next to the outlet of the urethra, are
derived from the same tissue as the male
prostate. The glands themselves are embedded
in the wall of the urethra. They provide
mucus as lubrication during intercourse.
Other glands, greater and lesser vestibular
glands, open up just inside the labia minora
and also provide mucus for lubrication.
The Vagina
Now
we are starting our journey into the female
body. The word vagina literally means
sheath, which is a pretty good
description of this organ. The vagina is a
long, fairly thin tube of muscles and
fibrous tissue, lined on the inside by
mucous membranes. It accommodates the penis
during intercourse and receives the
ejaculated sperm. Additionally, it's the
passage through which babies are born
(except for those which are born by
Caesarean section) and it acts as a conduit
for the discharge of the monthly menstrual
fluids from the uterus.
The
size of the vagina is very flexible: so much
so that it can accommodate almost any size
and shape of penis. It is about 10 cm long
and forms a kind of H-shaped cavity inside,
though during sexual intercourse it expands
and molds itself around the penis. The
vagina is actually quite an active organ,
since it's made up of an outer layer of
circular muscles and an inner layer of
longitudinal muscles. However, only the
first third of the vagina has plenty of
nerve endings, which leaves the inner two
thirds fairly insensitive. This is yet
another reason why "big penis"
does not equal "big thrill" for
most women.
Most
of the muscles making up the vagina are
smooth muscles, which means they are not
under conscious control (similar to the
muscles in your digestive system). However,
a woman can contract the muscles around the
vagina found in her pelvic floor: these are
the pubococcygeus, or for short, PC muscles.
These muscles can be trained and
strengthened (see "Kegel
exercises"), which increases the
strength of a woman's orgasms and improves
the likelihood of her ejaculating during sex
(more on that under "female
ejaculation").
The
inside of the vagina is lined by a mucous
membrane which secretes a sugar called
glycogen. This provides energy for the
normal, healthy bacteria of the vagina,
which ferment the sugar and produce lactic
acid as a by-product. This lactic acid
results in the interior of the vagina being
slightly acidic, which protects it from
microbes, and also, rather oddly, sperm.
(Semen therefore has to contain substances
which neutralize the acidic environment of
the vagina.) It is important that this
natural balance of healthy bacteria is
maintained inside the vagina, otherwise a
woman may experience frequent infections
such as Candida (also known as thrush).
As
we mentioned before, the vagina opens
externally into the vestibular area. During
childhood a thin membrane called the hymen
protects the entrance to the vagina.
However, this membrane is perforated to
allow menstrual fluids to flow through. An
intact hymen has long been seen as a sign of
virginity, but it actually has a tendency to
rupture before a woman's first intercourse
during exercise or sporting activities.
However, even if it's still only partially
in place it can make the first time of
intercourse uncomfortable and produce a
little bleeding for a young woman.
Thankfully, as the obsession of the western
civilization with women's virginity has
lessened, so has the importance of the hymen
and the prevalence of the myths about the
painfulness of having it broken by the penis
during first intercourse. (Click on the
images below to enlarge them. They show the
remains of the hymen tissue around the
vaginal opening.)
At
the back end of the vagina lies the cervix,
the narrow opening of the uterus into the
vagina, situated in the front wall of the
vagina. The vagina does not lead straight
into the cervix; rather, the uterus sits
next to the vagina at a right angle to the
front and upwards from it. This arrangement
leaves a little pouch at the end of the
vagina called the fornix. The fornix is much
less sensitive than the cervix. It absorbs
the main thrusts during intercourse and
forms a reservoir for the pool of sperm
which is left behind in the vagina after a
man has ejaculated. The location of the
cervix means it is conveniently bathed
in the pool of ejaculate if the woman is
lying on her back after or during
intercourse.
The G-spot
The
G-spot must be the most contentious and
hotly debated part of women's sexual
anatomy. Some say it is the most important
part of the female sex organs, others say
there is no scientific evidence for its
existence. It's named after the German
gynecologist Ernst Grafenberg, who found it
while looking into new methods of
contraception (that's where the G in
G-spot comes from). For the sake of this
work, we shall assume it exists.
So,
the G-spot is a particularly sensitive area
in the front wall of the vagina, often
situated quite close to the vaginal opening,
but always in the first third of the vagina.
However, it's not a single spot, but a small
area, which is more sensitive than other
parts of the vaginal wall. Deborah Sundahl,
author of the book Female Ejaculation And
The G-Spot, sees the G-spot as the area
of the vaginal wall which touches most
closely on a vast network of erectile tissue
around the vagina made up in part of a gland
which is equivalent to the prostate gland in
men (therefore she calls it the female
prostate).
I
think this makes a lot of sense. However I
also believe many women and men doubt the
existence of the G-spot because they have
exaggerated ideas about how it should work.
If you think of the G-spot as a convenient
button which you can push at any time to be
rewarded by instantaneous, gigantic orgasms,
you're only going to be disappointed! As
with other erectile sexual tissue in women's
genitals, the area of the G-spot needs time
and stimulation to become filled with blood;
it then becomes receptive to stronger
stimuli and produces stronger, more
pleasurable sensations. The G-spot area
enlarges and protrudes more obviously into
the vagina, the more aroused and sexually
excited the tissues are. Therefore, if you
want to look for your G-spot, give it time:
you need to play with it for a while until
your body responds with arousal. Another
challenge is that many women are very cut
off from the sensations in their genitals,
which can then end up feeling numb or
uncomfortable. You may need to massage your
G-spot area gently over time to nurture it
back into its full capacity for sexual
sensitivity. There's more on this kind of
sexual healing for women under "love
your genitals".
