Researchers have produced the most detailed map yet of the nerves of the clitoris, using high-powered X-ray imaging to reveal structures too small to see with conventional clinical scanning. The findings were reported first by Chris Simms in The Guardian and posted as a preprint on bioRxiv. Little is still known about the organ, a gap that has long drawn criticism from researchers and clinicians.¹
The team imaged clitorises using micron-scale computed tomography, which delivers higher resolution than standard MRI. This allowed them to trace, in three dimensions, five complex branching nerve trunks running through the organ, the widest measuring 0.7mm in diameter. They also found that branches of the dorsal nerve, the primary sensory nerve, extend into the clitoral hood and mons pubis.
The key finding is that some current medical understanding of clitoral anatomy appears to be straight-up incorrect, which would have direct clinical implications for gender-affirmation surgery and for reconstructive surgery. The study has not yet been peer reviewed,² and arrives against a backdrop of well-documented neglect. As The Guardian reported in 2020, the clitoris remains one of the least studied organs in the human body, disparity some researchers attribute to its sole identified function being female sexual pleasure. Incomplete anatomical knowledge has real consequences, too: nerve damage during pelvic surgery is a recognized cause of diminished sexual function, and surgeons currently have limited guidance on how to avoid it. This research offers a more precise roadmap; the abstract follows below.
The clitoris is one of the least studied organs of the human body. The detailed anatomy of the clitoris is challenging to address through a gross dissection, as most of its parts are embedded internally, surrounded by pubic bone and several pelvic organs. While clinical imaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging can capture the gross 3D morphology, they lack the spatial resolution required to resolve the detailed structures. In this study, we generated micron-scale computed tomography images of the female pelvises, leveraging a synchrotron radiation X-ray source. This unique data revealed the complex trajectory of the dorsal nerve of the clitoris, the main sensory nerve of the clitoris. Notably, the nerve trunks within the clitoral glans were revealed, with the maximum diameter ranging from 0.2 to 0.7 mm. They showed a tree-like branching pattern projecting towards the surface of the glans. We also revealed that some branches of the dorsal nerve of the clitoris ramify to innervate the clitoral hood and mons pubis. Finally, the posterior labial nerve, a branch of the perineal nerves, was shown to innervate the surroundings of the clitoris and the labial structures. These findings have an immediate impact on operations performed around the vulva area, such as gender-affirmation surgery and reconstruction surgery after genital mutilation.
1. As Simms points out, the penis was thusly mapped 30 years ago.
2. If the Clitoris Nerve Network does not survive peer review, at least we have a good name for a new post-doomer rococopunk band.
