Editing G-spot (section)

==Society and culture==

===General skepticism===
In addition to general skepticism among gynecologists, sexologists and other researchers that the G-spot exists,<ref name="Balon, Segraves"/><ref name="Greenberg"/><ref name="Hines"/><ref name="Kilchevsky"/> a team at [[King's College London]] in late 2009 suggested that its existence is subjective. They acquired the largest sample size of women to date – 1,800 – who are pairs of twins, and found that the twins did not report a similar G-spot in their questionnaires. The research, headed by Tim Spector, documents a 15-year study of the twins, identical and non-identical. According to the researchers, if one identical twin reported having a G-spot, it was more likely that the other would too, but this pattern did not materialize.<ref name="Greenberg"/><ref name="Acton"/> Study co-author Andrea Burri believes: "It is rather irresponsible to claim the existence of an entity that has never been proven and pressurise women and men too."<ref name="BBC8439000">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8439000.stm |title=BBC News - The G-spot 'doesn't appear to exist', say researchers |access-date=2010-01-04 |date=2010-01-04 |archive-date=2017-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171129191448/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8439000.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> She stated that one of the reasons for the research was to remove feelings of "inadequacy or underachievement" for women who feared they lacked a G-spot.<ref name="YvonneRoberts">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jan/05/g-spot-women-study |title=The real G-spot myth &#124; Yvonne Roberts &#124; Comment is free &#124; guardian.co.uk |work=The Guardian |access-date=2010-05-02 |location=London |date=2010-01-05 |archive-date=2018-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613085737/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jan/05/g-spot-women-study |url-status=live }}</ref> Researcher [[Beverly Whipple]] dismissed the findings, commenting that twins have different sexual partners and techniques, and that the study did not properly account for lesbian or bisexual women.<ref name="TimesOnline">{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article6973971.ece |title=What an anti-climax: G-Spot is a myth - Times Online |work= The Times|author=Lois Rogers |access-date=January 23, 2012| location=London | date=January 3, 2010|archive-date=May 31, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531122424/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article6973971.ece}}</ref>

Petra Boynton, a British scientist who has written extensively on the G-spot debate, is also concerned about the promotion of the G-spot leading women to feel "dysfunctional" if they do not experience it. "We're all different. Some women will have a certain area within the vagina which will be very sensitive, and some won't&nbsp;— but they won't necessarily be in the area called the G spot," she stated. "If a woman spends all her time worrying about whether she is normal, or has a G spot or not, she will focus on just one area, and ignore everything else. It's telling people that there is a single, best way to have sex, which isn't the right thing to do."<ref name="BBCGspotDetected">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7254523.stm |title=BBC NEWS &#124; Health &#124; Female G spot 'can be detected' |work=html |access-date=2010-01-03 |date=2008-02-20 |archive-date=2018-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613091627/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7254523.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Nerve endings===
G-spot proponents are criticized for giving too much credence to [[anecdotal evidence]], and for questionable investigative methods; for instance, the studies which have yielded positive evidence for a precisely located G-spot involve small participant samples.<ref name="Balon, Segraves"/><ref name="Hines"/> While the existence of a greater concentration of nerve endings at the lower third (near the entrance) of the vagina is commonly cited,<ref name="Rosenthal"/><ref name="Greenberg"/><ref name="Sex and Society"/><ref name="Weiten">{{Cite book|first1=Wayne|last1=Weiten|first2=Dana S.|last2=Dunn|first3=Elizabeth Yost|last3=Hammer|title=Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century|isbn=9781111186630|publisher=Cengage Learning|year=2011|page=386|access-date=January 5, 2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CGu96TeAZo0C&pg=PT423|archive-date=June 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614031527/http://books.google.com/books?id=CGu96TeAZo0C&pg=PT423|url-status=live}}</ref> some scientific examinations of vaginal wall innervation have shown no single area with a greater density of nerve endings.<ref name="Greenberg"/><ref name="Hines"/>

Several researchers also consider the connection between the Skene's gland and the G-spot to be weak.<ref name="Hines"/><ref name="santos">{{cite journal |last1=Santos |first1=F |last2=Taboga |first2=S. |year=2003 |title=Female prostate: a review about biological repercussions of this gland in humans and rodents.|journal=Animal Reproduction |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages= 3–18}}</ref> The urethral sponge, however, which is also hypothesized as the G-spot, contains sensitive nerve endings and erectile tissue.<ref name="Irvine"/><ref name="Chalker"/> Sensitivity is not determined by neuron density alone: other factors include the branching patterns of neuron terminals and cross or collateral innervation of neurons.<ref name="pmid10651316">{{cite journal|last1=Babmindra |first1=VP |last2=Novozhilova |first2=AP |last3=Bragina |first3=TA |title=The structural bases of the regulation of neuron sensitivity |journal=Neurosci. Behav. Physiol. |volume=29 |issue=6 |pages=615–20 |year=1999 |pmid=10651316 |doi=10.1007/BF02462474 |s2cid=9132976 |url=http://resources.metapress.com/pdf-preview.axd?code=q6h325761132q014&size=largest |access-date=2010-01-03 |display-authors=etal |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714081305/http://resources.metapress.com/pdf-preview.axd?code=q6h325761132q014&size=largest |archive-date=2011-07-14 }}</ref> While G-spot opponents argue that because there are very few tactile nerve endings in the vagina and that therefore the G-spot cannot exist, G-spot proponents argue that vaginal orgasms rely on pressure-sensitive nerves.<ref name="Balon, Segraves"/>

===Clitoral and other anatomical debates===

[[File:Clitoris Anatomy.svg|thumb|Internal anatomy of the clitoris, vestibular bulbs indicated]]
The G-spot having an anatomical relationship with the clitoris has been challenged by Vincenzo Puppo, who, while agreeing that the clitoris is the center of female sexual pleasure, disagrees with Helen O'Connell and other researchers' terminological and anatomical descriptions of the clitoris. He stated, "Clitoral bulbs is an incorrect term from an embryological and anatomical viewpoint, in fact the bulbs do not develop from the phallus, and they do not belong to the clitoris". He says that ''clitoral bulbs'' "is not a term used in human anatomy" and that ''[[vestibular bulbs]]'' is the correct term, adding that gynecologists and sexual experts should inform the public with facts instead of hypotheses or personal opinions. "[C]litoral/vaginal/uterine orgasm, G/A/C/U spot orgasm, and female ejaculation, are terms that should not be used by sexologists, women, and mass media", he said, further commenting that the "anterior vaginal wall is separated from the posterior urethral wall by the urethrovaginal septum (its thickness is 10–12 mm)" and that the "inner clitoris" does not exist. "The female perineal urethra, which is located in front of the anterior vaginal wall, is about one centimeter in length and the G-spot is located in the pelvic wall of the urethra, 2–3 cm into the vagina", Puppo stated. He believes that the penis cannot come in contact with the congregation of multiple nerves/veins situated until the angle of the clitoris, detailed by [[Georg Ludwig Kobelt]], or with the roots of the clitoris, which do not have sensory receptors or erogenous sensitivity, during vaginal intercourse. He did, however, dismiss the orgasmic definition of the G-spot that emerged after Ernst Gräfenberg, stating that "there is no anatomical evidence of the vaginal orgasm which was invented by Freud in 1905, without any scientific basis".<ref name="Puppo">{{cite journal |author=Vincenzo Puppo |title=Anatomy of the Clitoris: Revision and Clarifications about the Anatomical Terms for the Clitoris Proposed (without Scientific Bases) by Helen O'Connell, Emmanuele Jannini, and Odile Buisson.|journal=ISRN Obstetrics and Gynecology |volume= 2011|issue=ID 261464 |pages=5 |date=September 2011 |pmid=21941661 |doi=10.5402/2011/261464 |pmc=3175415 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Puppo's belief that there is no anatomical relationship between the vagina and clitoris is contrasted by the general belief among researchers that vaginal orgasms are the result of clitoral stimulation; they maintain that clitoral tissue extends, or is at least likely stimulated by the clitoral bulbs, even in the area most commonly reported to be the G-spot.<ref name="Kilchevsky"/><ref name="Sex and Society"/><ref name="Carroll"/><ref name="Can't find it">{{Cite news|first=Brian|last=Alexander|url=http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/18/10177335-does-the-g-spot-really-exist-scientist-cant-find-it|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120032319/http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/18/10177335-does-the-g-spot-really-exist-scientist-cant-find-it|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 20, 2012|title=Does the G-spot really exist? Scientist can't find it|publisher=[[MSNBC]].com|date=January 18, 2012|access-date=March 2, 2012}}</ref> "My view is that the G-spot is really just the extension of the clitoris on the inside of the vagina, analogous to the base of the male penis", said researcher Amichai Kilchevsky. Because female fetal development is the "default" direction of fetal development in the absence of substantial exposure to male hormones and therefore the penis is essentially a clitoris enlarged by such hormones, Kilchevsky believes that there is no evolutionary reason why females would have two separate structures capable of producing orgasms and blames the porn industry and "G-spot promoters" for "encouraging the myth" of a distinct G-spot.<ref name="Can't find it"/>

The general difficulty of achieving vaginal orgasms, which is a predicament that is likely due to nature easing the process of childbearing by drastically reducing the number of vaginal nerve endings,<ref name="Rosenthal"/><ref name="Balon, Segraves"/><ref name="Weiten"/>  challenge arguments that vaginal orgasms help encourage sexual intercourse in order to facilitate reproduction.<ref name="Kilchevsky"/><ref name="Lloyd"/> O'Connell stated that focusing on the G-spot to the exclusion of the rest of a woman's body is "a bit like stimulating a guy's testicles without touching the penis and expecting an orgasm to occur just because love is present". She stated that it "is best to think of the clitoris, urethra, and vagina as one unit because they are intimately related".<ref name="Rob Baedeker">{{cite web|last=Rob|first=Baedeker|title=Sex: Fact and Fiction|website=[[WebMD]]|pages=2–3|access-date=November 28, 2012|url=http://men.webmd.com/features/sex-fact-fiction?page=2|archive-date=January 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112134913/http://men.webmd.com/features/sex-fact-fiction?page=2|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ian Kerner]] stated that the G-spot may be "nothing more than the roots of the clitoris crisscrossing the urethral sponge".<ref name="Rob Baedeker"/>

A [[Rutgers University]] study, published in 2011, was the first to map the female genitals onto the sensory portion of the brain, and supports the possibility of a distinct G-spot. When the research team asked several women to stimulate themselves in a [[Functional magnetic resonance imaging|functional magnetic resonance]] (fMRI) machine, brain scans showed stimulating the clitoris, vagina and cervix lit up distinct areas of the women's sensory cortex, which means the brain registered distinct feelings between stimulating the clitoris, the cervix and the vaginal wall – where the G-spot is reported to be.<ref name="Pappas"/><ref name="Woodall">{{cite book|last=Woodall|first=Camay|title=Exploring the Essentials of Healthy Personality: What is Normal?|volume=2|isbn=978-1440831959|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|year=2014|pages=168–169|access-date=December 10, 2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2RaDBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA168|archive-date=December 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210124808/https://books.google.com/books?id=2RaDBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA168|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Komisaruk">{{Cite journal|last1=Komisaruk |first1=B. R. |last2=Wise |first2=N. |last3=Frangos |first3=E. |last4=Liu |first4=W.-C. |last5=Allen |first5=K. |last6=Brody |first6=S. |title=Women's Clitoris, Vagina, and Cervix Mapped on the Sensory Cortex: fMRI Evidence |journal=[[The Journal of Sexual Medicine]] |year=2011|doi=10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02388.x |pmid=21797981 |pmc=3186818 |volume=8 |issue=10 |pages=2822–30}}
*{{cite news |author=Stephanie Pappas |date=August 5, 2011 |title=Surprise finding in response to nipple stimulation |work=[[CBS News]] |url= https://www.cbsnews.com/news/surprise-finding-in-response-to-nipple-stimulation/}}</ref> "I think that the bulk of the evidence shows that the G-spot is not a particular thing," stated [[Barry Komisaruk]], head of the research findings. "It's not like saying, 'What is the thyroid gland?' The G-spot is more of a thing like New York City is a thing. It's a region, it's a convergence of many different structures".<ref name="Kilchevsky"/>

In 2009, ''[[The Journal of Sexual Medicine]]'' held a debate for both sides of the G-spot issue, concluding that further evidence is needed to validate the existence of the G-spot.<ref name="Greenberg"/> In 2012, scholars Kilchevsky, Vardi, Lowenstein and Gruenwald stated in the journal, "Reports in the public media would lead one to believe the G-spot is a well-characterized entity capable of providing extreme sexual stimulation, yet this is far from the truth". The authors cited that dozens of trials have attempted to confirm the existence of a G-spot using surveys, pathologic specimens, various imaging modalities, and biochemical markers, and concluded:<blockquote>The surveys found that a majority of women believe a G-spot actually exists, although not all of the women who believed in it were able to locate it. Attempts to characterize vaginal innervation have shown some differences in nerve distribution across the vagina, although the findings have not proven to be universally reproducible. Furthermore, radiographic studies have been unable to demonstrate a unique entity, other than the clitoris, whose direct stimulation leads to vaginal orgasm. Objective measures have failed to provide strong and consistent evidence for the existence of an anatomical site that could be related to the famed G-spot. However, reliable reports and anecdotal testimonials of the existence of a highly sensitive area in the distal anterior vaginal wall raise the question of whether enough investigative modalities have been implemented in the search of the G-spot.<ref name="Kilchevsky"/></blockquote>

A 2014 review from ''[[Nature Reviews Urology]]'' reported that "no single structure consistent with a distinct G-spot has been identified".<ref name="Jannini">{{Cite journal|author1-link=Emmanuele A. Jannini|last1=Jannini |first1=EA |last2=Buisson |first2=O |last3=Rubio-Casillas |first3=A |title=Beyond the G-spot: clitourethrovaginal complex anatomy in female orgasm.|journal=[[Nature Reviews Urology]]|year=2014|doi=10.1038/nrurol.2014.193|pmid=25112854 |volume=11|issue=9 |pages=531–538|s2cid=13701675 }}<!--|access-date=March 9, 2015--></ref>