Clitoris: Its superpowers, its secrets, and what we now know about it

Small. Discreet. Sometimes invisible. Yet, it's impossible to reduce it to what it appears to be. The clitoris has traversed history in a strange contradiction: omnipresent in pleasure, but largely invisible in knowledge. Mentioned since the Renaissance, then progressively erased from medical representations and scientific discourse, it is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating yet most misunderstood organs of the female body.

The clitoris, an organ solely for pleasure? To reduce the clitoris to pleasure would be to miss what it truly tells us. For behind its apparent simplicity lies a much more complex anatomy, a long-silent history... and recent discoveries that say a lot about our relationship with the body, desire, and what we choose to see or not. An organ that questions as much as it reveals.

In this article, we explore its multiple dimensions: its location, its size, its role in pleasure, its involvement in orgasm, as well as what science is now teaching us about its importance in female intimate well-being.

Anatomy, structure, pleasure, misconceptions, latest scientific advances... Here is a comprehensive and multidisciplinary overview of the clitoris.
It's now up to you to take a freer, more precise, and perhaps a little more conscious look at this organ of pleasure.

The History of the Clitoris: Science and Medicine's Great Oversight

The History of the Clitoris: Science and Medicine's Great Oversight

While its "discovery" (a term we find amusing) is often attributed to 1559, when the Italian physician and anatomist Realdo Colombo, a loyal associate of Michelangelo, claimed to have identified its role in female pleasure, the reality is far more complex. Here, there's nothing of romantic chance or intimate revelation. At that time, the body wasn't narrated. It was opened, dissected, observed.

And already, a question gently disturbed this scientific certainty: do we truly discover something… or do we merely name it? For what strikes us about physician Colombo and his discovery is not just the observation. It's the act of naming it, defining it, appropriating it. He claimed a discovery and gave it a name: "the love of Venus." An almost poetic appellation, perhaps too free to survive, and that's a good thing because naming the clitoris is more than a scientific act. It's a seizure of power. It suggests that before the word, the object didn't fully exist. As if language preceded the body. An unappealing idea… and a fragile one, especially when one imagines that the female body, for its part, probably never waited for words or science to know itself and be discovered.

In reality, the clitoris predates these debatable discussions. It already appears, in various forms of description, in Greek, Arab, and Persian medical texts, even if its functions are often dubious and misinterpreted there, but never totally absent.


As early as the 16th century, certain anatomical representations began to sketch a more complete form of it. Then, in 1850, the German anatomist Georg Ludwig Kobelt proposed a surprisingly precise mapping of it: glans, body, crura, bulbs… an architecture astonishingly close to what modern science would confirm much later. He also highlighted its impressive nerve network, following the dorsal nerve of the clitoris—larger than that of the penis. At that time, medical treatises dedicated a few pages to it, but no more. Then, slowly, almost silently… the subject faded, and the clitoris gradually disappeared from dominant medical narratives. Under the influence of doctrines centered on reproduction, female pleasure was relegated to the background.

The 19th century marked another decisive turning point: science established that female orgasm was not necessary for fertilization. From then on, the clitoris gradually lost even more of its "function" in dominant medical representations. Yet, this interpretation is far from having always been the norm, as for centuries, certain medical theories, on the contrary, associated female pleasure with reproduction.


In the 20th century, the clitoris became almost invisible in official knowledge, going through a long period of effacement, and it would not be until the 1990s that research would take an interest in it again, with the work of urologist Helen O’Connell, which marked a turning point: the clitoris was finally studied in its anatomical and functional entirety. Since then, new scientific advances have made it possible to redefine what was thought to be known—and especially to reveal what had long been ignored, but this effacement does not stop and extends into contemporary representations, particularly in school textbooks.


In the 21st century, independent researcher Odile Fillod highlighted incomplete representations, flawed diagrams, simplified definitions, and a lack of information on a yet fundamental anatomy in science textbooks. In some books, the organ is simply absent. In others, it is reduced to an approximate definition, far from its anatomical reality. A striking paradox, even though no French school textbook at the time offered a truly faithful representation of the organ. It was not until 2017 that a first edition, published by Magnard, finally introduced an anatomically accurate representation of the clitoris for middle school students. Seemingly a minor detail. But in fact, a symbolic shift: that of an organ that finally ceases to be partially invisible in learning about the body.

In 2026, the clitoris is now a visible subject, sometimes even pop, feminist, and fully integrated into cultural and media discourses. And yet, a form of misunderstanding persists. Because nearly 30 years after that of the penis, it is only in March 2026 that we are pleased to announce the first complete 3D mapping of the clitoral nerve network, carried out at the academic medical center of Amsterdam by Dr. Ju Young Lee. A major advance for medicine, which allows for a better understanding of innervation and its sensitivity in surgical or obstetric contexts.


But beyond clinical and scientific progress, a deeper shift is taking place, raising a broader question: how could an organ so central to bodily experience remain so long on the periphery of knowledge?

Your clitoris's best friends

The clitoris, 10 years ago in figures

Key figures on body knowledge among teenage girls

1 in 4 15-year-old girls
don't know they have a clitoris
84%
of 13-year-old girls cannot draw their own genitals
53%
of 13-year-old girls can draw male genitals
Clitoral Anatomy: between Misconception, Oversight, and Invisibility

Clitoral Anatomy: between Misconception, Oversight, and Invisibility


To reduce the clitoris to the small visible area of the iceberg would be a misinterpretation. What we see is actually only the tip of a much larger anatomical complex. Its shape is now well-documented by research: an inverted Y-shaped organ, composed of an external glans, the most sensitive part, connected to an internal body that extends into two roots several centimeters long. These structures extend on either side of the vagina and frame the vestibular bulbs, rich in erectile tissue. In other words, the clitoris is not an isolated point, but a network, an erectile system in its own right. But its specificity does not stop there. The clitoris is also one of the most densely innervated organs in the human body, with thousands of nerve endings concentrated in its external part alone. It is this exceptional nervous architecture that explains its central role in the perception of pleasure. Mostly invisible, it is nevertheless fully active in the body.

A silent architecture, yet of fascinating biological precision, which continues to be rediscovered by modern science.

Let's discover together 6, 7, or even 8 unusual facts about the clitoris that you may not know.

Things to know (that you may not know) about the clitoris

Things to know (that you may not know) about the clitoris

Its size can vary, and that's normal

The clitoris varies from one woman to another, but on average, it measures about 9 to 12 centimeters long when erect. Over the years, it grows and asserts itself. By age 30, it can already be up to four times more developed than at puberty. A diversity that celebrates our uniqueness and reminds us that pleasure has no standard.


Same starting point as the penis.

Up to 8 weeks of fetal development, the penis and clitoris have a similar structure and originate from the same embryonic tissue. A comparison that should not obscure its own complexity.


Clitoral pain: a common phenomenon

A clitoris that itches, stings, burns, or becomes painful is not anecdotal. However, these symptoms, such as clitoral adhesions, are still too often minimized or poorly managed by traditional medicine, even though they can have simple and identifiable causes.   Hypersensitivity, uncomfortable friction, intimate pain: these sensations are often accentuated by repeated micro-irritations, particularly during female masturbation or direct caresses.


8,000 nerve endings for pleasure

With nearly 8,000 nerve endings (compared to 4,000 for the penis), the clitoris emerges as one of the most sensitive areas of our body, making it a point of pleasure of unimaginable power.


The clitoris can swell during arousal

Like the penis, the clitoris can increase in size during arousal. It fills with blood to become more sensitive to caresses. Fascinating, isn't it? For those who want to unlock its full potential, we recommend our clitoral orgasmic gel enriched with L-arginine and peppermint.


The clitoris, like a fine wine… improves with age

There is one organ that never retires, that continues its career without losing intensity, always at the service of your pleasure: the clitoris.
 Like a wine that gains maturity, it develops its complexity, depth, and nuances. It evolves, refines, intensifies... and fully reveals itself.   A faithful companion, always ready to offer you its finest notes.





INTRODUCTION TO RELAXATION & STRESS RELIEF WITH OUR OVDs

The Clitoris Beyond Pleasure: The Latest Advances in Contemporary Science

Et si le clitoris ne servait pas uniquement au plaisir ?


Cet organe aux multiples terminaisons nerveuses doit bien servir à quelque chose… Il a forcément une utilité autre que le plaisir sexuel. C’est tout le but de cette étude et la question posée par une récente étude menée par la sexologue Manon Bestaux au CHU de Rouen. Longtemps réduit à sa seule dimension érogène, le clitoris intrigue aussi par sa structure : un organe richement innervé, dense, complexe. Et forcément, une question s’impose chez les scientifiques, presque instinctive : et s’il avait d’autres fonctions ? C’est précisément l’hypothèse explorée dans cette recherche clinique menée entre 2020 et 2023 au sein du service de gynécologie-obstétrique du CHU de Rouen.

32 femmes enceintes ont participé à l’étude, testant un dispositif de stimulation externe, similaire au galet vibrant YESforLOV, dans un objectif très précis : évaluer un potentiel effet analgésique du clitoris en contexte de douleur.
Ici, pas question de sexualité, mais plutôt de relaxation et de gestion de la douleur.

Les résultats sont particulièrement remarquables. Sur 304 épisodes douloureux observés, 86,2 % ont montré une amélioration de la perception de la douleur. Les douleurs concernées étaient variées : contractions, douleurs abdominales, lombaires, dorsales, thoraciques, mais aussi d’autres douleurs plus diffuses. Après l’accouchement, certaines participantes ont également rapporté un soulagement des douleurs post-partum, notamment celles liées aux suites de couches et au début de l’allaitement. D’autres ont poursuivi l’utilisation dans des contextes de douleurs menstruelles ou d’endométriose.


Sur Instagram, notre communauté s’est déchaînée avec plus de 250 commentaires illustrant cet effet perçu sur la douleur.
Quelques témoignages :

« Ça soulage les maux de tête, diminue considérablement les migraines, et les douleurs liées à la cystite. Ça m’aide aussi à m’endormir les soirs d’insomnie. »

« Maladie chronique provoquant des crises douloureuses articulaires et ligamentaires, déjà testé et approuvé. J’ai même conseillé à mes amies enceintes de s’en servir contre la douleur. »

« Je suis atteinte d’une maladie immuno-neurologique complexe, très douloureuse. Cette stimulation douce me permet une forme d’auto-hypnose et m’aide à gérer la douleur au quotidien. »

« Utilisé pour gérer mes contractions à l’accouchement, mais aussi pour les règles, les maux de tête, les coups de blues, ou même pour me recentrer. »

Une première exploration scientifique, complétée par des retours d’expérience, qui suggère un effet analgésique potentiel indépendant de la dimension sexuelle. Une piste encore émergente, mais qui ouvre une question fascinante : et si le clitoris n’était pas seulement un organe du plaisir… mais aussi un acteur encore sous-estimé du bien-être corporel ?


Et si le clitoris avait aussi un rôle dans la reproduction ?


REGARDER LA VIDEO

Une hypothèse longtemps absente des discours scientifiques, presque inconcevable au regard de son histoire… surtout après des siècles où il a été relégué à un organe “sans utilité”. Car rappelons-le : pendant longtemps, le clitoris a été présenté comme un simple organe du plaisir, voire comme une structure secondaire du corps féminin, sans fonction biologique réelle. Une lecture réductrice, qui a contribué à son effacement progressif des savoirs médicaux. Aujourd’hui, cette vision est à nouveau questionnée. Dans une revue de littérature publiée dans Clinical Anatomy, le chercheur britannique Roy Levin explore une idée dérangeante pour les anciennes certitudes : et si le clitoris ne se limitait pas au plaisir, mais participait aussi indirectement au processus reproductif ? Longtemps réduit à une lecture simplifiée de sa fonction, cet organe est aujourd’hui réinterrogé à la lumière de la physiologie sexuelle et reproductive.

Selon cette approche, la stimulation clitoridienne ne se limiterait pas à une expérience sensorielle. Elle déclencherait une cascade de réponses neurophysiologiques impliquant le cerveau et l’ensemble de l’appareil génital féminin. Ces mécanismes contribueraient à modifier l’environnement vaginal et cervical lors de l’excitation.

Comme l’explique notre sexologue Myriam dans notre vidéo Instagram “Le clitoris ne sert pas qu’au plaisir”, et en s’appuyant sur des travaux publiés dans Clinical Anatomy, l’activité cérébrale liée à l’orgasme induirait des changements physiologiques : variations de l’oxygénation vaginale, adaptation de l’acidité, et conditions potentiellement plus favorables à la mobilité et à la survie des spermatozoïdes.

Dans cette dynamique, le corps n’est pas passif. Il s’ajuste, il répond : le flux sanguin évolue, la lubrification s’adapte, et l’environnement interne se transforme temporairement. L’intérêt de ces observations est central : la stimulation clitoridienne pourrait s’inscrire dans un processus biologique plus global, lié à la reproduction, et non uniquement au plaisir. Une perspective qui invite à reconsidérer un récit longtemps dominant : celui d’un organe périphérique, sans véritable fonction autre que sensorielle.


Au-delà des débats scientifiques et du rôle du clitoris dans les mécanismes biologiques, sensoriels et sexuels, une conclusion s’impose sans ambiguïté : les mutilations sexuelles féminines, et notamment l’ablation du clitoris, doivent être sévèrement condamnées. Au-delà de la violence infligée et de cette forme de barbarie, elles représentent une atteinte profonde à l’intégrité du corps féminin, avec des conséquences durables sur la santé sexuelle, intime et globale.

Selon l’Organisation mondiale de la santé, plus de 230 millions de filles et de femmes vivantes aujourd’hui ont subi des mutilations génitales féminines dans une trentaine de pays d’Afrique, du Moyen-Orient et d’Asie, où ces pratiques existent encore. Un chiffre vertigineux, qui rappelle une réalité simple mais essentielle : ce que la science redécouvre aujourd’hui sur le clitoris, certaines sociétés continuent encore de le nier ou de l’effacer dans la chair.

What if, ultimately, the clitoris had always been observed through an incomplete lens? And what if it still had new stories to tell? For despite recent advances, one question remains: how many grey areas still persist around this organ, due to a lack of sufficiently broad, diverse, and representative studies? When will we see larger-scale scientific research, integrating more comprehensive, inclusive approaches, capable of fully exploring its multiple dimensions?


In the meantime, one thing is certain: the more we rediscover it, the more the clitoris proves to be a territory still far from having revealed all its secrets.