For the first time, researchers have mapped the full network of nerves in the clitoris, an organ that has been historically neglected in medical science. The 3D scans, created using high-energy X-rays, reveal the intricate branching of five nerve bundles, some as wide as 0.7mm, within the glans clitoris. This breakthrough could improve outcomes for women undergoing pelvic surgery, as it corrects previous misconceptions about the organ's anatomy.
The study, led by Ju Young Lee at Amsterdam University Medical Center, used donated female pelvises to produce detailed images showing nerves extending to the mons pubis, clitoral hood, and labial structures. Notably, the scans contradict earlier beliefs that the dorsal nerve diminishes near the glans; instead, it continues strongly to the end. The findings are currently on the preprint server bioRxiv and await peer review.
Helen O'Connell, a Melbourne urologist who published the first comprehensive clitoral anatomy study in 1998, called the work crucial for understanding female arousal and orgasm. She noted that cultural taboos have long hindered research, with the clitoris omitted from standard textbooks until the 20th century and described in Gray's Anatomy as recently as 1995 as 'a small version of the penis'.
The mapping has practical applications beyond basic science. It could inform reconstructive surgery after female genital mutilation, which affects over 230 million women globally, and reduce the 22% of patients who experience declined orgasmic function post-operation. Additionally, the data may aid vulvar cancer treatment, gender reassignment, and cosmetic labiaplasty, which saw a 70% rise in popularity between 2015 and 2020.
Lee hopes to open a clitoris exhibition at Amsterdam University Medical Center to educate the public and medical community about this long-overlooked organ.
