The clitoris has over 10,000 nerve endings
Sexologists and other professionals used to think that the clitoris has 8,000 nerve endings. But little research has been done on the clitoris in the past. New US research now shows that the average clitoris has 10,281 nerve endings. For comparison: a penis has 'only' 4000.
The clitoris has more than 10,000 nerve endings that facilitate sexual pleasure, according to research from New Oregon Health & Science University presented at a scientific meeting of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America and the International Society for Sexual Medicine . It is the first time that the number of nerve endings in the clitoris has been counted. It's also nearly 20 percent more ends than the 8,000 the clitoris was thought to have. That estimated number did not come from research of human tissue, but of cows.
The research was done by Blair Peters, a plastic surgeon specializing in gender research and an instructor at the OHSU School of Medicine. For his analysis, Peters used samples from seven genital surgeries. During the operations, tissue from the clitoris was collected, which Peters put under the microscope afterwards. After much in-depth analysis and calculations, he determined that each patient has an average of 10,281 nerve endings in the clitoris.
“To think that there are more than 10,000 nerve endings in something so small is really surprising, says Peters. “Especially if you compare it to other body parts. For example, the median nerve; the nerve that runs through your wrist and hand and is associated with carpal tunnel syndrome has 18,000 nerve endings. While a hand is much bigger than a clitoris.”
Understanding female sexual pleasure better
Medical science has historically paid little attention to the vulva, while studies of the penis are widespread. This has led to a considerable knowledge gap in the field of genitals and sexual health. According to Peters, his research is therefore an important step forward in better understanding female sexual pleasure. “Not only that, it could also be positive for sex reassignment surgery, where clitoral tissue is used to create a penis, and labia surgery, where sexual pleasure can be much better preserved.”