“It’s particularly surprising when you compare the clitoris to other, larger structures of the human body. “It’s startling to think about more than 10,000 nerve fibers being concentrated in something as small as clitoris,” Peters said. Because the clitoris also has other, smaller nerves beyond the dorsal nerve, Peters noted the human clitoris actually has more nerve fibers in total. Knowing the dorsal nerve is symmetrical, the average was multiplied by two to arrive at an estimate of 10,281 nerve fibers for the human clitoral dorsal nerve. An average of about 5,140 dorsal clitoral nerve fibers were counted among the samples. Peters collected samples from one side of dorsal nerve tissue, a small amount of which is typically trimmed during gender-affirming phalloplasty procedures. The dorsal nerves are symmetrical, tube-like structures that travel on top of the clitoral shaft and then run downward on either side, like a wishbone. Below the surface is the dorsal nerve, the main nerve responsible for clitoral sensation. While the tip of its small shaft - the highly sensitive part of the clitoris, also known as the clitoral glans - is found outside the body, much of the clitoris is located internally. The clitoris is the only known human organ that has the singular purpose of providing pleasure. Nerves - which carry electrical impulses between the brain and the rest of the body - enable people to feel and respond to stimulus such as touch. Nerves are made of bundles of thin nerve fibers, also known as axons. Tissues were dyed and magnified 1,000 times under a microscope so individual nerve fibers could be counted with the help of image analysis software. Peters obtained clitoral nerve tissue from seven adult transmasculine volunteers who underwent gender-affirming genital surgery. It’s also about 20% more than the often-quoted estimate of 8,000 nerve fibers, which is believed to be derived from livestock studies.īlair Peters, M.D., an assistant professor of surgery in the OHSU School of Medicine and a plastic surgeon who specializes in gender-affirming care as part of the OHSU Transgender Health Program, led the research and presented the findings. This finding is the result of the first known count of human clitoral nerve tissue. More than 10,000 nerve fibers enable the pleasurable sensations created by the human clitoris, according to new Oregon Health & Science University-led research presented today at a joint scientific meeting of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America and the International Society for Sexual Medicine. Blair Peters, M.D., an assistant professor of surgery in the OHSU School of Medicine and a plastic surgeon who specializes in gender-affirming care as part of the OHSU Transgender Health Program, obtained clitoral nerve tissue from seven adult transmasculine volunteers who underwent gender-affirming genital surgery for clitoral nerve research.
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