We're unlocking the biggest mysteries of the clitoris
Medical research has historically neglected the clitoris due to gender bias and a lack of clear disciplinary categorization. Recent advancements, including digital nerve mapping, are finally providing a more comprehensive understanding of this complex organ.
Why it matters
Addressing historical medical research gaps is essential for improving women's health outcomes and correcting systemic biases in anatomical science.
The clitoris is one of the most mysterious parts of the human body.
Not because it’s some strange, unknowable organ that can never be understood. But because historically medical research hasn’t really tried to.
In fact, for every one piece of published research on the clitoral gland (the ‘head’, or sensitive external part) there are 20 studies on its male counterpart, the penile gland, according to analysis by researcher Prof Blair Peters.
The clitoris’s neglect is, partly, because it doesn’t fall neatly into any medical discipline. Urology tends to focus on the urinary tract and penis, while gynaecology has looked more towards the reproductive organs including the uterus and ovaries. The clitoris is left out in the cold.
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