Enhancement of the Vulva and Clitoris

While often controversial, women sometimes have a desire to change their clitoris and vulva, so as to make them look different, or in hopes that they will provide more pleasure during sex. For most women, their clitoris and vulva look and work fine just the way they are and they wouldn't dream of letting a doctor near them with a scalpel, but others have a strong desire for something different or better.

While I present this information on my website I don't necessarily support these procedures. I just want to make people aware that they do exist. They all have risks associated with them, and none have any guaranteed benefits.

The first enhancement method has become somewhat popular since the early 1980's. It is Genital Piercing. Thousands of women worldwide have had their genitals pierced so special metal rings and bars could be inserted. The reasons they do this are numerous, but the main reasons are decoration and sexual enhancement.

The majority of women wear some form of makeup on their face to make themselves more attractive. Women with pierced genitals wear shiny metal rings and bars in the folds of their vulva to make it more attractive to themselves and their partner. It also serves to draw their partner's attention to this area. For many it is a celebration of their femininity.

For women who have never liked their genitals, or who have felt disassociated from them, this can be a very rewarding and enlightening experience. The momentary pain associated with the actual piercing, and the aftercare procedures, result in these women thinking about and being more aware of their genitals than they have ever been before. Many of these women can't stop thinking about, looking at, and sometimes even showing off their newly pierced vulva. These are actually very positive things for a woman to do. Perhaps at no other time in their life have they been so aware of their genitals and sexuality.

If the piercing is positioned so as to pass through the clitoral glans, a very rare piercing because of anatomical restrictions, or passes through the hood of the clitoris, the loose tissue surrounding the clitoral shaft, many women experience a totally new level and type of sexual sensation during masturbation, partner sex, and sometimes even during regular daily activities. Some of these women experience orgasm easier, and these orgasms are sometimes more intense. Sometimes these sensations are too intense for the woman to deal with during daily activities and require the removal of the jewelry. Some women don't experience these new sexual feelings, but there is no way to predict this beforehand. It is a matter of trial and error.

Genital piercings do have risks associated with them. As with any surgical procedure, when the skin is cut, there is the risk of infection if proper sterility isn't practiced. The placement of the piercing is also critical to the success of the piercing. Because the piercings are located between the thighs there can be a lot of movement of the tissue there when walking. This can result in the piercing migrating out of the tissue resulting in the jewelry needing to be removed. If properly done and cared for, these piercing can be beneficial to the women who want them. They aren't likely to benefit women who don't want them for themselves, but get them at their partners request.

Other women have Plastic Surgery performed on their clitoris or vulva to change its appearance, and sometimes to expose their clitoral glans to direct stimulation. The later procedure is commonly called "female circumcision" and refers to the practice of removing the clitoral hood, the loose fold of tissue that covers the glans of the clitoris. Many women have a hood that totally conceals the clitoral glans and prevents its direct stimulation by finger or tongue. Most women need this hood to protect their extremely sensitive glans from direct stimulation, as they would feel pain not pleasure if it were directly touched. Some women are able to expose the glans by pulling the hood back but desire not to have to do this, to free up their or their partners hands during sex. It is commonly accepted by sex therapists that there is no need for female circumcision, most women's clitorises work fine just the way they are. The women who have had this done do usually report favorable results, but it isn't a cure all for sexual dysfunction, and can make matters worse if done for the wrong reasons. After circumcision the exposed clitoral glans if usually very very sensitive, requiring women to relearn how to masturbate, and partners to relearn their sexual techniques. No woman should take this procedure lightly.

Some women find their inner labia, labia minora, to be too large, unattractive, and uneven. While large uneven inner labia are perfectly normal and common, some women still expect and desire small and symmetrical inner labia. Perhaps because this is how their labia looked prior to puberty. At least one reference states two thirds of women have inner labia that project out beyond their outer labia. Also, as with female breasts, one side is often larger than the other. Some women complain of pain during intercourse, caused by their large inner labia being drawn into the vagina where they are pinched by the thrusting penis. While most doctors seem reluctant to do this procedure, labioplasty, some do. The reason for their reluctance is they don't see a medical problem. They may exam several women a day with large uneven inner labia, but few report them as being a problem. If a doctor does perform this procedure, I'm not aware of it having a negative impact on a woman's life or sexual pleasure.

Some women have had some of the fat removed from their pubic mound and outer labia to make their clitoris more prominent. This is suppose to help women experience orgasm during intercourse. I have also heard reports of women having their outer labia made fuller and more pronounced, versus flat and indistinct. These are new procedures and I think the jury is still out on them.

While perhaps very rare, some women desire a larger clitoris and use steriodal creams and other forms of Steroids to cause this result. While perhaps a form of penis envy, it can also just be a believe that bigger is better. Since the clitoris is made up of the same tissues as the male penis, it is sensitive to testosterone. If exposed to increased levels of testosterone, the clitoris will become larger and take on the shape of a male penis, minus the urethra, and the woman will experience pronounced erections. The younger a woman is when she does this, the larger her clitoris will become, heredity place a part in this too. Steroids will also cause the clitoris to become much more sensitive to stimulation, perhaps too sensitive. These steroids can also cause other male traits to develop in women, like heavy body hair and a deep voice, not to mention aggression. There is no indication that the size of a clitoris has any affect on a woman's ability to achieve orgasm.

Women who take steroids to increase their muscle mass for weight training and sports will also likely experience an increase in clitoral size. While perhaps not the reason for taking the steroids, I think many of these women like their larger clitoris, but I have heard of one such women asking a doctor to remove her enlarged clitoris. If a woman stops taking these steroids, her clitoris will shrink a little in size, but it will never return to its former size, and her erections will become less pronounced. Sometimes women are prescribed steroids to treat gynecological conditions, these steroids can also cause a woman's clitoris to become larger. I know of one woman who was very happy with this unexpected side affect.

Perhaps the most extreme form of steroidal usage and surgical modification involves Female to Male Transsexuals. The steroids cause the clitoris to achieve a length of 2 to 3 inches, and then doctors create a small penis by releasing the clitoris from it surrounding tissue, and create a urethra out of the inner labia. The outer labia are sewn together to form a scrotum, complete with prosthetic testicles. While on the small size, they do assume the appearance of adult male genitals.

There are some women, again a rare few, who place their clitoris in a small Vacuum device to draw blood into the clitoris causing it to temporarily swell and increased in sensitivity. This is similar to what some men do when engaging in vacuum pumping, a vacuum cleaner isn't used for this. If done carefully and cautiously this can be a pleasurable experience for a woman. If done often, permanent enlargement can result, so I gather.