March 22, 2017
The G-Spot
Ask the Experts

The G-Spot

by Berkeley Wellness  |  

Q: Does the “G-spot” really exist?

A: The debate continues. First promoted in a best-selling book in 1982, the G-spot was named after Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg, who did research on urethral stimulation in the 1940s. It presumably is located on the front wall of the vagina near the bladder and triggers a special kind of orgasm when stimulated.

But there is no agreement on what or where it is—or even if a distinct structure exists. Most reports have been anecdotal.

In fact, an article in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, which reviewed 60 years of research, concluded that “the existence of an anatomical G-spot . . . remains to be demonstrated.” Some researchers say that there may just be a broader region that activates other sensitive structures when pressed.

On the other hand, a more recent paper in the same journal claimed to find the G-spot. The author, who did a vaginal dissection in an 83-year-old female cadaver, reported it to be a well-defined structure within a sac, deeper in the vagina than previously thought, under several layers of muscle and connective tissue. It was shown to have erectile-like properties.

Not surprisingly, this paper got a lot of publicity. But it’s hardly the final proof. It’s not known if this structure corresponds with the actual sexual response many women describe or whether other women even have it. There are great variations in female genitalia and in women’s sexual and orgasmic responses, G-spot or not.

And as one paper summed it up, “Whether the G-spot actually exists is probably less interesting than the search and desire for its existence.”