Clitoris

The clitoris (clit) is the pleasure center of female reproductive anatomy. It’s a complex network of erectile tissue and nerves, with parts inside and outside your body. Many people think of the clitoris as the tiny nub of flesh located at the top of the genitals (vulva). But this is just the part you can see.

Touching your clitoris can make you feel sexually aroused. If it continues, you might feel your pleasure increase until you climax (orgasm). Even if you don’t have an orgasm, the sensations from clitoral stimulation usually feel good.

What is the function of the clitoris?

Your clitoris enables you to experience sexual pleasure. Your entire vulva is an erogenous zone — an area of your body that can lead to sexual arousal when touched. Your clitoris is the most sensitive part of your vulva. It can produce the most intense and pleasurable sexual responses in your body.

Your clitoris is sensitive to all types of touch. What feels best varies from person to person. Contact with fingers, a tongue (oral sex), a sex toy or your partner’s genitals can stimulate your external clitoris. Vaginal penetration can stimulate your clitoris through your vaginal wall.

Experimenting with different types of touch by yourself or with a partner can help you find what feels best.

Where is the clitoris?

Your clitoris is one part of your vulva. It has an external (outside) part at the top of your vulva. The internal (inside) part branches out around your vagina.

External clitoris

The part of your clitoris that’s on the outside of your body is at the top of your vulva. Your pubic mound is above it, directly atop your pubic bone. Directly below your clitoris is your pee hole (urethra).

Zooming in, the parts of your clitoris that are outside your body include:

• Glans clitoris: The tiny nub that sticks out at the top of your vulva is the glans clitoris. When people talk about the clitoris (or clit), they often mean the glans.
• Clitoral hood: Your labia minora (inner vaginal lips) meet at the top of your vulva to form a hood for your glans. It may cover all, some or none of your glans. Everyone is different.

Internal clitoris

Inside your body, your clitoris is shaped like an upside-down wishbone. Parts of your internal clitoris include:

• Body (corpora): The body of your clitoris is behind your glans. Think of it as the top of the wishbone. The body extends downward and branches off to form a pair of legs, called the crura.
• Crura: The crura are two legs that extend from the clitoral body. They’re the longest parts of your clitoris. Together, they form the “V” of the wishbone. They surround your vaginal canal and urethra.
• Vestibular (clitoral) bulbs: The vestibular bulbs are between your crura and your vaginal wall. There are two of them. When you’re aroused, they swell with blood and can double in size.
• Root: The nerves from the erectile tissue in your clitoris meet at the root. The root is also where the legs of the crura meet.

What does the clitoris look like?

Your clitoris looks different depending on the view.

The part of the clitoris you can see (the glans) looks like a tiny nub of flesh. It typically has a hood of flesh. Wrinkly flaps of skin (your inner vaginal lips) surround it. The glans is roughly the size of a pea.

Your entire clitoris (the inside and outside parts) resembles a wishbone.

How big is the clitoris?

Your entire clitoris, from the glans to the crura, is about 3.5 to 4.25 inches long. It’s about 2.5 inches wide. Just the glans is about half an inch wide.

What is the clitoris made of?

Your clitoris is a complex network of erectile tissue and nerves.

Nerves

Your glans has about 10,000 nerve endings that make it incredibly sensitive. It’s so sensitive that applying too much pressure or touching it directly may feel painful. Multiple nerve bundles and endings create these sensations in your clitoris.

Erectile tissue

Except for your glans, your clitoris consists of erectile tissue. This means it fills with blood and expands when stimulated. This erectile tissue is similar to the tissue in a penis.

When you’re aroused, the crura and the vestibule bulbs can expand so much that they cause your labia to swell. Your swollen labia may partially or completely cover your glans. Or the swelling may cause your glans to stick out more.

Inside your body, the swelling adds pressure to your vaginal wall. The squeezing triggers fluids to secrete inside your vagina. This increases feelings of pleasure and aids vaginal penetration.

What conditions can affect the clitoris?

Conditions that can affect your clitoris include:

• Enlarged clitoris: You can be born with an enlarged clitoris or develop it later in life. Most often, exposure to androgens (sex hormones associated with being male) causes it.
• Clitoral hood issues: Excess clitoral hood tissue may cause discomfort. Your clitoral hood can also stick to your glans (clitoral adhesion), causing pain.

Many conditions that affect your vulva can affect your clitoris, too. These include:

• Infections, like sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and yeast infections
• Skin conditions, like lichen sclerosus (an autoimmune disease)
• Vulvar cancer, which can affect your clitoris in rare cases

Symptoms that may mean something’s wrong

Symptoms that may point to issues with your clitoris include:

• Soreness: Your clitoris may feel sore if your glans gets too much direct pressure or stimulation.
• Pain: An injury, infection or another condition can cause your clitoris to hurt.
• Itchiness: An itchy clitoris or clitoral hood may result from an allergic reaction to things like bathing products, lubricants or condoms. It can also be a sign of infection.

If you have these symptoms, talk to a healthcare provider — a gynecologist, if possible. Reach out to them, too, if you think your clitoris is making it difficult to achieve orgasm. It can be uncomfortable to talk about your sexual health. But your provider is there to help you, not judge you.