Well yes, but even people doing research can’t do this apparently so it remains political and personal as well as scientific (hey, at least feminist theorists and so on are doing what they do, the researchers relying upon anecdotes are at least meant to be scientists and they’re not being scientific really so the feminists do actually have a point). After all, this study is just a collection of anecdotes – despite the appearance of being scientific – and it does tend to ignore the much more interesting (and to me convincing) research into a physiological basis. Let’s face it, like the brain, the vulva and vagina are still pretty uncharted territory vis a vis physiology and our understanding…and like the brain there’s a lot of cultural baggage attached (not that I’m equating orgasms with consciousness, though one does require the other).

As for why it’s relevant that no lesbians were included in the study, I’ve read (I’ll see if I can find it) that bisexual and lesbian women are more likely to report having a gspot. There may be a biological basis (if I remember correctly, the idea was that in some women the gspot was related to a different biological expression of the prostate gland during gestation). Or it may just be that bisexual and lesbian women are less inhibited and more curious about their bodies, which could result in more finding their gspot (biological) or in an increased mental component.

I’d propose the idea that arousal is mainly intellectual/emotional in women may just be false. Research that measures both biological and intellectual/consciousness of being aroused has shown that women can be biologically aroused but intellectually unaware of it. (Just as homophobes get aroused by homoerotic images but don’t believe they are aroused…I’d guess that they’re channeling their arousal into anger/disgust as a means to deny their arousal). I’m referring to relatively recent research (vis a vis women) that has shown that most women who identify as heterosexual also get aroused – physically if not intellectually – by a very diverse range of sexual imagery that includes lesbian sex and animal sex. So, there’s no denying the body/mind connection and disconnect. As usual, the experience is all in the mind and, as is often the case, the mind is quite capable of ignoring/denying the body if it somehow conflicts with self identity or when what the body feels threatens a sense of identity or conforming to a social norm.

Interesting stuff! Since we’re very much at the infancy of understanding sex and are only starting to come out from under some very strong social/cultural prejudices and (yes) religious assumptions about sex and what is normal, and acceptable, it IS important to be vigilant for how these biases creep in…particularly when we’re presenting anecdotes as evidence!

Thanks for a great and very even handed look at this subject – best and most informative (and complete vis a vis the actual science) I’ve read yet.

The one flaw I can see in the study with the twins is that each twin could have had very different experiences in relationships. Perhaps the anterior vaginal wall is only .00001% more sensitive than any other wall, but that percentage rises exponentially depending on the emotional state of the woman towards her partner.

Again, these are questions that I ask based on purely anecdotal evidence. Should anecdotal evidence be discounted out of hand? I often hear my fellow skeptics say it should be, but I don’t think they necessarily mean that. I would hope they realize that anecdotal evidence doesn’t prove anything, but it can help focus research.

I will remain open to the possibility that there is no G-Spot, but I do know that there is a spot or two within the vagina that triggers an orgasm. That spot is in the same area that the G-spot is said to be. My partners have always said that the orgasms triggered by digital stimulation of this spot (no contact with the clitoris, okay, I tried to reduce variables here…heehee) were quite different from an orgasm produced by direct stimulation of the clitoris.

So are the G-spot skeptics claiming that there is no spot that triggers orgasms? or that there is nothing anatomically special? It seems odd that there isn’t somethign anatomically different about this spot from other areas of the vaginal wall if it produced orgasms. I am fairly certain that this is not psychological.

So SOMETHING is happening and I hope that the G-spot skeptics aren’t claiming that there isn’t.

So, women are having orgasms now, eh?

The G-spot is a palpably distinct region in at least some women. I have verified this first-hand. As far as I know, there generally aren’t variable physiological features in any single species that are simply there or not there. Unless the researchers are proposing that there are two subspecies of female humans (one with G-spots and one without) it seems to me that the simplest answer is that all women have it, but only some women know how to use it.

In my experience the sensitivity of the G-spot is highly variable, rarely leading to orgasm through intercourse but mostly responding to direct stimulation. I have also observed that G-spot orgasms trigger a refractory period for clitoral orgasms: once G-spot orgasm occurs clitoral orgasm is not possible for quite some time, and interestingly the clitoris becomes hypersensitive similar to what occurs in males post-orgasm. This suggests to me that the “root of the clitoris” idea has considerable merit, as I recall reading that the clitoris is the analogue of the penis.

It seems to me that a survey is a terrible way to approach this problem. Female sexuality, particularly in the physiological areas, is still not a comfortable area for many, many women. The G-spot is not like a penis, simply dangling out in the open; it requires some degree of exploration to find. Further, I don’t think that most men have the knowledge or confidence to go hunting around.

I know nothing about neuroanatomy, but maybe you can answer this steven. Is it possible for tissue with a normal distribution of nerves to crinkle on demand, increasing the number nerves per unit of surface area and allowing the area to serve as a temporary ‘sensitive spot’?