Read The Whole Lesbian Sex Book for Free Online

O’Connell, of the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia, dissected human cadavers. “The pyramid-shaped mass of erectile tissue” she saw, “far larger than previously described,” bore no resemblance to the anatomy she learned in med school. 4 “There were glaringly obvious defects in some books—like the book that I learnt anatomy from when I was training for my surgical exams just had no description [of the clitoris] at all. 5
    Two of O’Connell’s ten specimens were from premenopausal women who exhibited “more extensive erectile tissue” than the typical elderly cadavers found in research settings. 6 “Welucked out,”she said, “one of our cadavers was 36 years old. She looked like an Amazon.” 7
    Even Gray’s Anatomy failed to identify or describe the nerves and blood vessels that go to the clitoris—which are among the FFWHC’s 18 parts of the clitoris related to sexual pleasure. “For a surgeon,” said O’Connell, “that’s unacceptable.” She concluded that current anatomical descriptions of female human urethral and genital anatomy are inaccurate.
    That lack of respect for women’s anatomy can have serious consequences for women undergoing radical hysterectomy and other surgeries. Men who undergo surgery for prostate cancer benefit from the “tons of studies about how to prevent impotence after radical prostectomy,” as one expert in gynecological anatomy said. “Given this beautifully detailed knowledge of the interrelationship between the female urethra and sexual organs,” the researcher continued, “it should be possible to develop similar nerve-sparing operations for women.” 8
    O’Connell found that the crura (or legs) of the clitoris “flare backwards into the body,” extending into the vaginal wall on either side of the urethra. (Think of a wishbone, with the clitoral glans in the middle and the crura as the legs.) Called the “vestibular bulbs” in traditional anatomy texts because they sit on either side of the vaginal opening, the “clitoral bulbs” (so named by O’Connell) are analogous to the bulb of erectile tissue at the root of a penis, though, O’Connell says, “the bulbs are more prominent in females.” The clitoris, she concludes, is far larger than the tiny structure depicted in conventional anatomy texts.
    But why does any of this matter to you? If you think of your clitoris as an extensive sexual organ—one that protrudes at the top of your vulva, reaches down to flank the vaginal opening, extends into the vagina, and cradles the urethra—your concept of touching your clit just might take on new dimensions!

    Illustration 2. Female Anatomy (Internal)
    Labia
    The labia majora are the large outer lips of your vulva. These are what some women call their pussy lips. They’re usually covered with hair, and the skin is the same texture and color as the rest of you. Among women who shave their genitals, this is the area that’s most commonly shorn. The labia minora are next as we move inward. These are asymmetrical, delicate folds of tissue with the same texture as mucous membrane. Generally hairless, they become quite slippery during sex. Some women’s inner labia are long, extending outside the labia majora; others are smaller and tucked away inside the labia majora.
    Vagina
    The opening of the vagina sits below the clit and urethral opening, and above the perineum and anus. The vagina is made up of very elastic tissue that opens up and expands during arousal (and childbirth, of course). When not aroused, the walls of the vagina touch—we do not have a big “hole” in there.
    The outer third of the vagina contains the most nerve endings, and most women find it to be more sensitive than the deeper areas of the vagina. The opening and G-spot are the most responsive to the subtleties of movement and touch; the deeper areas are more responsive to the pressure of thrusting. The vagina ends in the cervix, the knoblike opening to the uterus through which