Penetration and the Elusive G-spot

Like most things having to do with sexual pleasure in women, there is great variability in how much women enjoy (or are willing to tolerate) having objects penetrate their vaginas—be they to tolerate) having objects penetrate their vaginas—be they penises, fingers, tongues, speculums, vibrators, dildos, or any other objects, animate or inanimate. All of the nerve endings in the vagina lie in the outer portion of the vagina, near the opening. This means that women are sensitive to light touch or stimulation of their vaginas only when it is applied to this outer region. Further inside the vagina there are sensory receptors that respond to more intense pressure. Vaginas probably evolved this way because having highly sensitive nerve endings threaded throughout the vagina would have made the extended penetration of sex painful.

Because of the way the vagina is designed, some women find stimulation of the vaginal opening the most pleasurable aspect of penetration. And because the nerve endings become less sensitive after repeated stimulation, some women say that penetration feels most enjoyable at first entry. Taking short breaks during sexual activity to focus on other erogenous zones allows the nerve endings in the vagina time to regain their sensitivity. Breaks allow women to re-experience the initial entry pleasure.

Inside the vagina there are two areas that bring sexual pleasure to many women when pressure is applied. One area is the cervix—the small round structure at the far end of the vagina that serves as the opening to the uterus. Although the cervix does not have any nerve endings, it is highly sensitive to pressure and movement. Some women find it unpleasant or even painful to have pressure repeatedly thrust against their cervix. For other have pressure repeatedly thrust against their cervix. For other women, repeated rhythmic pressure on the cervix is extremely enjoyable. And for some it is even essential for orgasm to occur.

Some women who have undergone a hysterectomy that includes removal of the cervix and uterus report decreased arousal, orgasm, and pleasure during sexual intercourse. Other women who have had the surgery report no changes in their sexual function or pleasure whatsoever. The differences between these two sets of women may have something to do with the role that cervical stimulation or uterine contractions play in their overall sexual experience. For similar reasons, it is not uncommon to hear that “size doesn’t matter”—but this is not always true. If a woman falls into the “cervix-stimulating” pleasure camp, size really does matter. Unfortunately, contorting one’s body in order to achieve a better cervical aim can only help so much.

The other area of the vagina that brings pleasure to certain women when stimulated is the G-spot, or Grafenberg spot:

I have been with lots of men in my life—probably close to one hundred—and of all those men, only one ever learned how to hit my G-spot. I’m now married and love my husband but I keep thinking about sex with the man with the magic fingers! I swear, when he put pressure on that special spot it drove me crazy — I didn’t want foreplay or anything — just more and more penetration.

—heterosexual woman, age 50

The German physician Ernst Grafenberg, who purportedly first described the region, is the lucky man who has a part of women’s anatomy named after him. There has been much debate as to what exactly the G-spot is and whether it really exists in all women. Recently, researchers at the University of L’Aquila in Italy announced that they believe they have finally identified the elusive G-spot. Using ultrasound technology, the scientists measured the size and shape of the tissue located in the front wall of the vagina. Of the twenty women they examined, nine were able to achieve orgasm through vaginal stimulation alone and the other eleven were not. The findings from the ultrasound exams revealed that the tissue between the vagina and the urethra—the area speculated to be the location of the G-spot —was much thicker in women who were able to achieve vaginal orgasms than in the women who were not. This means that some women may have a region of their vaginas that is densely packed with nerve fibers that make it more sensitive and thus easier to have an orgasm through vaginal penetration alone.

The easiest way for a woman to determine whether this area exists in her vagina is to explore with her fingers—two or three fingers are best. To find the area, the woman or her partner should try applying firm rhythmic pressure inside the vagina, upward toward the belly button in the space almost directly below the urinary opening. Some women say that the first below the urinary opening. Some women say that the first sensation they experience when the G-spot is hit is a need to urinate. But with continued pressure this feeling is soon replaced by an intensely pleasurable sensation. Continued G-spot stimulation can lead to deep orgasms that may be more pleasurable than orgasms achieved through clitoral stimulation alone. For most women, however, G-spot orgasms are much more difficult to attain than clitoral orgasms. This is especially true during vaginal-penile penetration, when it is harder to hit just the right area. Rear-entry or woman-on-top intercourse positions give the best shot at the G-spot.

A small proportion of women claim that having an orgasm through stimulation of the G-spot causes them to ejaculate. Researchers have analyzed this ejaculate fluid and have found that, although it comes out of the urethra, it is not simply urine being expelled during orgasm. There has not been much solid scientific research on female ejaculation, but some sex researchers believe the fluid comes from the Skene’s gland, an internal gland located near the same area as the G-spot.