CLITORIS

Follow the inner lips up to where they meet just below the mons. There they form the hood that protects the sensitive glans of the clitoris, which is similar to the glans (head) of a man’s penis in its abundance of sensitive nerves. Usually the glans is nestled under the hood, but it can be seen by pulling the hood gently back. The glans is so sensitive that quite a few women find direct stimulation painful. These women often prefer stimulation of the shaft of the clitoris, which stretches up toward the mons and can be felt under the skin as a movable cord. After orgasm, many women find that their clitoris is too sensitive to be touched directly for up to several minutes. This hypersensitivity is similar to what many men experience after ejaculating. Like the penis, the clitoris is made of erectile tissue, and the glans engorges with blood when excited. Many people compare the clitoris to the head of the penis, and developmentally they originate from the same embryonic tissue. The clitoris, however, is unique in being the only organ in either sex that exists exclusively for sexual pleasure. So much for the belief that women are less lusty than men: they are the ones who have a part of their body wholly dedicated to getting them hot and bothered.