The oft-cited claim that there are more than 8,000 nerve endings in the clitoris comes from a 1976 book by Thomas Lowry and Thea Lowry, in reference to a study of cows. No one had fact-checked that claim in humans — until now.
There are, in fact, an average of 10,280 nerve fibers according to a histomorphometric evaluation of the dorsal nerve of the clitoris presented by Blair Peters, MD, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, at the Sexual Medicine Society of North America annual meeting.
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While medical study of the penis, including its sensory anatomy, is extensive, the clitoris has long been overlooked in medical literature, and its nerves poorly represented in medical textbooks. Quantifying the nerve fibers in the human clitoris has a range of practical applications, from improving reconstruction following clitoral injuries, restoration following genital mutilation, and improving sensory outcomes in gender-affirming surgery.
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Kimberly Lovie, MD, director of medical imaging and AI at New H Medical in New York City and the director of research and development at the sexual wellness company Cerē, said that this research is a basis for preventing damage to the clitoris during surgery for endometriosis or labiaplasty, for example.
