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- Urologist, pelvic surgeon, and YouTuber Dr. Rena Malik specializes in content that dispels medical information.
- And in a recent YouTube video, she debunks several myths about the clitoris.
- “As a doctor, I've seen and heard it all when it comes to women's sexual health,” she said. “And one thing that never ceases to amaze me is the amount of misinformation out there about the clitoris.”
Urologist, pelvic surgeon, and YouTuber Dr. Rena Malik creates content designed to dispel medical misinformation, demystify and destigmatize sex as a topic of conversation, and help people enjoy healthier, more fulfilling sex lives. In a recent video, she busts several pervasive myths about the clitoris and the female orgasm—starting with just how big it is.
The word clitoris might come from the Ancient Greek for "small hill," but in reality, the clitoris is much more than the small, button-like structure that is visible. That is the glans of a much larger organ which extends deep into the pelvis. "While the visible part of the clitoris might be small, it's just the tip of the iceberg," says Malik.
The second myth relates to female orgasm, and the misconception that vaginal and clitoral orgasms are two different things. "The vagina itself is not rich in nerve endings, and so women often don't get sufficient stimulation through the vagina," says Malik. "The large majority of nerve endings are near the vaginal entrance... so when women experience orgasms from stimulation inside the vagina, it's because it's actually stimulating the internal body of the clitoris which surrounds the vaginal canal."
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Thirdly, the clitoris is not a magic button that you can simply press in order to bring your partner to orgasm. "There's no one way to do it for each individual person," says Malik. "Some people prefer more gentle touch, others enjoy pressure, others enjoy vibration or oral stimulation... talk to your partner, encourage them to tell you what they like, and try new things."
This should be becoming apparent by now, but the fourth myth is that the clitoris is not required in order to reach orgasm. False. Malik cites research which has found that as many as 95 percent of women need clitoral stimulation in order to have an orgasm.
More bizarre is the "use it or lose it" myth. "You don't lose the clitoris if you don't have sex," says Malik. "It doesn't just disappear, like the penis doesn't disappear if you don't have sex."
Malik concludes by addressing the popular notion that the clitoris has 8,000 nerve endings, which was a commonly held belief up until recently. New research, however, indicates that the clitoris has "well over 10,000" nerve endings.
