No more G-spot? : sexual health experts say it is an erogenous “zone”

The “G-spot”, a putative erogenous area in the anterior vaginal wall, is a widely accepted concept in society, but controversial in the medical literature. Despite widespread acceptance, it is still shrouded in controversy, and studies aimed at proving its existence or non-existence are often potentially biased by the sociocultural background. It should actually be called “zone G”, sexual health experts now say. Researchers behind a study published in the journal Sexual Medicine Reviews argue that the term, used to describe an erogenous area of the vagina that supposedly causes intense orgasms when stimulates, is “misleading”.

For years, it has been popularly described that it is located a few centimeters inside the vagina on the upper walls of the organ. But experts now say that there is no single point and that five separate “erotogenic” tissues perform the sensations of pleasure attributed to the G-spot.

These are the pillars of the clitoris, the bulb of the clitoris, the periurethral glands, the urethra and the anterior vaginal wall itself. The G-spot is named after the German gynecologist Ernst Gräfenberg, who described the area producing orgasms in the 1950s. Gräfenberg himself did not coin the term. But he was the first to scientifically describe an “erotic zone” located “on the anterior wall of the vagina along the course of the urethra”.

The G-spot was named in his honor by Dr. Frank Addiego and his colleagues, who wrote about female ejaculation in the 1980s. Now, Dr. Irwin Goldstein, editor-in-chief of Sexual Medicine Reviews, has called for a name change. Writing together with two other executives in the publication, they stated that the “correct term” should be “Gräfenberg zone” or “zone G”.

Scientists came to this conclusion after re-analyzing the original description of the area first described by Dr. Gräfenberg. “Based on Gräfenberg's description that the anterior vaginal wall contains a 'distinct erogenous zone', we believe that the later use of the term 'G-point', coined 31 years later by Addiego et al, is misleading,” they detailed.

Specialists assured that Gräfenberg originally attributed three functions to the “erotic zone”: “pleasant sensations”, “swelling” and “fluid ejaculation”. Since no single “point” is responsible for all functions, they explained that five separate tissues are likely to be involved.

“We suggest that the current term is misleading and therefore inappropriate,” the team wrote. He added: “The five erogenous regions of the anterior vaginal wall should be more precisely and appropriately called the 'Gräfenberg zone or zone G'.”

The authors of the editorial urge sexual health experts to consider this name change for future research. The science behind the G-spot is controversial, with several studies claiming it doesn't exist because even researchers can't find it. Recently, last year, Portuguese scientists failed to identify their location, size or nature. They described point G as something similar to the lost city of Atlantis.

Another hypothesis is that the G-spot is simply a deep inner part of the clitoris stimulated during sex. Some experts have claimed that studies that say that point G does not exist are ruling out the experiences of women who claim to have one. Others argue that a focus on the G-spot, in terms of female sexual pleasure, could make those who struggle to orgasm due to their stimulation feel “inadequate or abnormal.”

“Unfortunately, it is one of the many things that were invented to try to ensure that women always feel in inferiority of conditions in the enjoyment and complication of the pursuit of their pleasure, when in reality on this path it is enough to immerse themselves in their own sensations and enjoy their bodies”, held exclusively with Infobae, Florencia Salort, gynecologist, sexologist and coordinator of the University Extension of the Gynecology Service of the Institute University of the Italian Hospital.

“Our greatest organ of pleasure is the clitoris, which is proven to have 8,000 nerve endings. That is why 90% of women reach orgasm with direct stimulation of the external part of it and only 20% do so through stimulation of the vagina or penetration. Instead of enjoying a pleasurable sexuality and exploring the erotic map itself, the G-spot made it a big concern that a person could not reach orgasm through this avenue,” Salort concluded.

Globally, not reaching orgasm is common and affects around 30% of women. Occasionally in the United States, Europe, Central and South America, the number of women who do not reach orgasm varies between 16% and 28% and in Asia the numbers reach 40%. Anorgasmia is one of the sexual dysfunctions that prevents the enjoyment of a loving bond. About 90% of the causes of anorgasmia are due to psychological and non-physiological issues.

For Ms. Cecilia Ce, psychologist, sexologist and author of the books Sex ATR and Carnaval all life, “negative beliefs and attitudes towards sexuality, lack of adequate education, anxiety, demand, modesty, difficulties in communication, are factors that make it difficult for all people to enjoy.” “We often hear that female sexuality is difficult, complicated, not as simple as male sexuality. The belief circulates that if you came to the world with vulva and vagina pleasure will be more difficult to achieve. As if there is something that justifies us being biologically sentenced to enjoy less,” said the expert.

“One of the things that does particularly have the anatomy of the female genitality is how little is known its structure and the proper form of stimulation. Difficulty in orgasm is one of the most frequent consultations in sexology, either because the woman has never felt it or because she has it alone but not with sexual partners and often, more than one would imagine, the cause of discomfort is the lack of adequate stimulation”, he concluded.

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