Can You Orgasm From Penetration? The Clitoris, Vaginal Nerves, and Arousal | Dr Laurie Mintz | Be well Moments

0:01Dr. Laurie Mintz:This is a Be Well Moment, the most replayed moments from my latest conversation. It's a glimpse into the wider episode, which you can find linked in the show notes below. Because sometimes one small moment is enough to reconnect to living well and being well.

0:22Dr. Laurie Mintz:You're saying that the clitoris is kind of the powerhouse to an orgasm. Absolutely. Right? So this is where we need to be focusing. So like, talk me through understanding the clitoris. Absolutely. So let's start at the very beginning. At some point in embryonic development, the genitals differentiate. Some turn into penises and some turn into clitorises. And so the clitoris is the analogous of the penis. So let me show you. These are the inner lips, and they're also analogous to the penis. The inner lips are analogous to the underside of the penis. Here's something really interesting. If you've ever seen a penis, you know, do you ever see that little seam down the inside of the shaft?

1:14Well, that's where if the inner lips would have fused. It's the same thing. Wow. So, of course, it's sensitive. You follow the inner lips up. This is the clitoral hood. It's analogous to the foreskin, if it's not removed. Under the foreskin is the glands, which is analogous to the tip of the penis. It has, except it's smaller, 10 ,000 nerve endings, 10 ,000 into something the size of a pencil eraser. So, ouch, most people can't touch that directly. They stimulate through the hood. but this is just the tip of the iceberg if you will right the hood and the glands are what you can see on the vulva but it's a vast internal organ so here's an example this is the vulva again and that's the clitoral glands and glands sticking out in the hood but the whole thing is behind there under the vulva and it's full of erectile tissue.

2:22Okay.

2:23Dr. Laurie Mintz:So I'm using the other one. This is the other side. This is the other mold that I've got. Yes. Right. So there's legs and there's bulbs and there's a body all analogous to the penis and it's full of erectile tissue, just like the penis. So when women are aroused, their clitoris has a lady boner, if you will, Inside? Inside. And basically when you're stimulating lots of parts on the outside, the skin is thin. So you're actually stimulating the inner clitoris. Wow. And did I read in your book that this, the clitoris, gets 50 to 300 times bigger when it's aroused? Yes. That's an erection. And an erection is same for women and men, same for penises and clitorises.

3:18The blood flows into the tissue. It gets trapped there. And then it's released with rhythmic contractions of the pelvic floor. What a lot of women feel is pulsating. And there was a really amazing study where people wrote, what does an orgasm feel like? And then they removed any sense of if the person had a penis or a vulva. took away anything about ejaculation, showed it to doctors, showed it to sex therapists. You couldn't tell the difference between the male and the female descriptions. Everyone described a buildup of tension and a release of tension that felt pleasurable. Why? Because it's the same parts arranged differently.

4:04Wow. So why would we expect ourselves to orgasm from penetration? The vagina has very few nerve endings. That's why you can put it, think about if you use a tampon, you can put it up and if you get it far up enough, you don't feel a thing, right? Why? Because there's no touch sensitive nerve endings there. There's pressure sensitive nerve endings. And I'm not saying intercourse doesn't feel good. And there are some women who orgasm from that. But most people need direct clitoral stimulation to orgasm. And even those who do orgasm from a penis going inside a vagina, it's from the clitoral stimulation.

4:46Woman on top, they're stimulating their clit against a body part. Or they say, no, no, it's from the penis in the vagina. Well, no, it's these balls, these clitoral balls. They surround the vagina. and they're having an erection. So a lot of scientists, no matter where the stimulation occurs, all orgasms are from the clitoris having an erection.

5:15Dr. Laurie Mintz:Thank you for listening to this Be Well Moment. If it resonated, the full conversation is linked in the show notes. And I hope it gave you a small pause to take a moment for you and to reconnect to living well and being well. If you loved it, please do leave a review follow the show or share this maybe with someone you love.