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Why would girls and adult women be
worried about the size and shape of their clitoris, labia and
vulva? We often think of the female genitals as hidden from view,
due partly to the way we are educated to think of female sexuality
- it begins and ends with the vagina! The reality that girls and women have a vulva is
less often referred to than the fact that men have external
genitals - which are of course much more prominent. The reality is
that women's and girls' external genitals come in many textures, shapes, colors, and sizes.
Young girls' genitals vary
rather little - and girls may have no idea what an adult woman's
genitals look like since girls are not likely to see their
mother's vulva. In any event, pubic hair usually hides the vulva
and labia of adult women, which means that even if girls should
happen to see women undressed they are likely to conclude their
genitals look the same, under the pubic hair. Not allowing girls
to look at the genitalia of their mother or indeed of other women,
seems perverse, and probably harms their self-image as they grow
up. Openness and acceptance of the way the genitals appear is a
better way to become a sexually self-confident adult. The way
girls are educated sexually at the moment seems likely to generate
a negative self-image of their vulva later in life.
A Time Of Growth and Change
During
puberty a girl's genitals undergo a
major transformation. Even before breast tissue develops, the area
of the vulva develops in response to greater estrogen. Her inner and outer labia,
clitoral hood and clitoris increase
in size, in a rapid period of growth which also sees changes in
the shape, color, and texture of the labia and the growth of pubic
hair.
The development of pubic hair also
takes
place at this time, so girls may be less aware than boys of
the changes they are going through. A girl is much less likely to
explore her vulva than a boy is to explore his penis and
testicles. However, if a girl does
examine her labia she may be concerned about these
changes, and guilty about masturbation if she has been
self-pleasuring.
 As women become more comfortable with
exploring their body and genitals, they may find they have
an unrealistic expectation of what the labia and vulva look like.
And since most
books portray the vulva as discrete and the labia as small and
neat, and probably pink, most women will not see images which
resemble their genitalia particularly closely. This may produce
shame and so generate a barrier to sexual activities
and intimacy, especially where genital
massage and
cunnilingus
and concerned.
With so much shame around the genitals
it may be helpful for women to look at
vulva photographs of other women's genitals.
In doing so it is possible to appreciate and understand the enormous
amount of genital diversity that exists.
According to
the-clitoris.com, from
where many of these ideas are taken, many women are concerned with
the shape, size, and color of their inner
labia, the labia minora. For many - probably most - women, the
labia minora are
larger than the labia majora (the outer lips).
The color of the labia minora ranges from pink through to brown or black,
and the texture may be thin and delicate or thick and wrinkled. As the photographs clearly demonstrate,
the inner labia
come in many shapes and sizes. Inner labia that extend beyond the
outer labia are normal in all races; but in
Khoisan and San women
distinctive labia minora which can extend up to four inches
beyond the labia majora are normal. Ignorance around labial
size and shape is shared by many doctors, so these women may be
viewed as deformed not only by themselves but also by doctors.
Dr. Alter's
website.
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Would You Like
To Have More Sexual Pleasure (i.e. More Orgasms)?
Whether
you are in a sexual relationship or not, one thing is
likely to be true for you - sex is just not, well, quite
as good as it might be.
It's a sad
fact that many women settle for a sexual relationship in
which their sexual needs are not necessarily the first
priority during sex. Think about your sex life fro a
moment. Whose sexual needs come first? If you're enjoying
sex, that's great, but do you always have an orgasm?
Probably not, and there may well be many times when your
partner is able to enjoy his sexual pleasure during
intercourse but you are left frustrated and upset because
you haven't had an orgasm!
Well, the good news
is - that's about to change!
It's possible for
all couples to have a sexual relationship which satisfies
them both fully, each time, every time. Imagine it -
orgasms for both him and her, whenever you want them, as
often as you want them, each time you make love. Sounds
too good to be true? Well, it's not. The reality is that
there are ways in which a couple can enjoy sex so that
both of them have an orgasm and are fully satisfied each
time they make love. It's only a matter of finding out
what the right pattern of lovemaking is for you as a
couple. In general, we know that women need more foreplay,
more intimacy, more build-up to sex than men, who can
become aroused and satisfied very quickly. By focusing on
the needs of the woman first, and ensuring she has an
orgasm before intercourse begins, most couples find the
quality of their sex lives improves dramatically! After
all, it isn't usual for a woman to reach orgasm during
intercourse, so if that's the way you're hoping to get
sexual pleasure, you might be disappointed a lot of the
time! This link will take you to a website where you can
find out exactly
how to get
to orgasm every time you make love - for
both her and him! Remember, the important thing is
Women Come
First! |
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Are
You Having Problems Reaching Orgasm?
Many women
have a problem reaching orgasm. In fact, some estimates
suggest that as many as thirty percent of women have
difficulty reaching orgasm some or all of the time. Most
of these sexual dysfunctions in women arise as a result of
negative sexual experiences during childhood or adulthood,
or a lack of information and knowledge about the body and
female sexuality. In particular, inability to
reach orgasm
during sex or masturbation is a problem for a lot of
women, even now, in times when sexual knowledge is much
more widespread and information is freely available.
A lack of
familiarity with the female body has caused many women to
suffer sexual shame and embarrassment unnecessarily. But
the great thing is that it's easy to overcome these
problems - even at home, without the help of a
professional sex therapist, you can become relaxed,
confident and happy about your sexuality and the
appearance of your own body. And this leads naturally onto
becoming more orgasmic, more sexually relaxed, and more
able to enjoy masturbation and intercourse - with lots of
orgasms!
If you'd
like to reach orgasm more easily, then we suggest you have
a look at the treatment program which we recommend. It's
designed to help you become fully orgasmic - whether you
currently enjoy orgasms occasionally, have trouble
reaching orgasm, or have never had an orgasm in your life.
It takes you through an enjoyable series of exercises
which let you to find out what kind of sexual stimulation
you enjoy the most, how your body responds to touch, and
what are your easiest and most enjoyable ways to become
sexually aroused and reach orgasm.
Get all the
information here.
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The inner labia can be
modified; consistent traction or pulling on the inner
labia may cause them to become permanently longer and thicker.
Body modification involves - among other sport - piercing
the inner labia and hanging weights from them so as to extend
them. However, this is unusual: and women's normal masturbation
techniques do not generally change the shape of the genitals.
In some cultures women with
large inner labia are seen as very attractive and
desirable. This is because the labia are a sexual stimulus for
men. The larger the body part, the greater the sexual stimulation.
The labia minora are naturally
sensitive to
estrogen, and the increased levels from adolescence onwards
produce
enlargement and increased sensitivity. Such a change also happens
during pregnancy, both because estrogen levels increase during this
time, as does the flow of blood through the pelvic regions. s is
altered.
What size are normal
labia?
Dickinson
reports the following data (which begins to look like men's
obsession with size in another form!)
When genitals look
intersexual
Some normal and healthy women have a clitoris that looks very similar to a penis.
(The penis and clitoris are derived from similar tissues in the
embryo and exposure to increased levels of androgens in the XY
embryo causes development of the male genitalia. Any imbalance of
hormones or errors in this process can cause the under-development
of the penis or the over-development of the clitoris. Surgical
reduction of an over-developed clitoris is definitely good
practice. The girl has the right to grow up and make her own
decisions about what cosmetic surgery (if any) she wishes to have.
Intersexuality.
About seventy five per cent of the clitoris is
hidden within a woman's body. Indeed, the average clitoris is
approximately four inches long - like a flaccid penis. The true size of the clitoris
is much greater than generally imagined. The
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (July 1992) reveals
that from measurements taken on 200 normal women during gyno
exams, the average width of
the clitoral glans is 3.4 mm and the range is from 2.4
to 4.4 mm (0.09 - 0.17 inches). By contrast, the average length
from top to bottom of the glans was 5.1 mm
(0.20 inches) and the range was from 3.7 to 6.5 mm (0.15 - 0.26 inches).
This is not large! Dr. Robert Latou Dickinson' book Atlas of Human Sex Anatomy
states that "normal" clitorises width is 3 to 4 mm.
(0.12 - 0.16 inches) and the length is 4 to 5 mm (0.16 -
0.20 inches). But there is much variation, and some women have
much larger clitoral glans. The definition
of "normal" is often arbitrary. The clitoris increases significantly in size during puberty, and
of course during adult life as well. During puberty the glans of
the clitoris increases in size by 1.5 times; from 14 to 19
it increases in size by 1.8 times
larger (compared to the age of 14). At the age of menopause -
around 53 the clitoris is on average almost 7
times larger than at birth, and 2.5 times the size at age 19.
The visible part of the
clitoris can be up to 2.5 inches (6.3cm) long and 1 inch (2.5cm) in
diameter. Obviously at this length they begin to look like a
miniature penis. Such clitorises are noticeable for their obvious
erection. Using a
clitoral pump
often enough can cause an increase in
size (and indeed is said to help sexual responsivity), as the
tissues become persistently stretched and enlarged. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
has - remarkably -
approved a clitoral pump,
the Eros Clitoral Therapy Device
- which is said to be of assistance in treating female sexual
dysfunction. The clitoris is extremely sensitive to
testosterone. Female athletes who have taken steroids to increase muscles mass
seem to have this side affect, as do
female to male transsexuals.
A bigger clitoris does not
necessarily work better, but even if a woman wishes her sexual
organs were bigger, there is no proven way of making
the clitoris larger. It is true that if a woman feels good
about the size of her clitoris and labia she will probably be more
relaxed and sexually responsive. But recall that our brains after
our largest sexual organ! The brain plays a greater role in female sexual pleasure than
the clitoris.
Long labia can be very
embarrassing for a woman
As one woman observed on the-clitoris.com,
she had always been acutely self-conscious about the size of her
labia minora, 1.25 inches long, which made her feel very
embarrassed and anxious. She needs constant reassurance from her
husband and when she spoke to her doctor, she just said it looks
normal. But a woman who is different from what seems to be normal
may worry about it, and the facts provided on the-clitoris.com can
provide reassurance. She goes on to say her daughter is six and her labia seem to be developing
like her mother's. She wanted to be able to tell her the facts
about women's genitals so she was spared the anxiety.
Next page
[ All about the clitoris, labia and vulva ] [ The clitoris, labia and vulva - clitoral size in pictures - clitoris enlargement ] [ More about the clitoris, labia and vulva - female ejacuation, the clitoris ] [ Clitoral vs vaginal stimulation and orgasm ] |