Table 3.

The G-spot and Female Ejaculation

The G-spot refers to an area in the pelvis described by Dr. Grafenberg in the 1940s (thus the “G” in the word G-spot is for Dr. Grafenberg). Dr. Grafenberg was a German obstetrician and gynecologist who collaborated with a prominent American obstetrician and gynecologist, Dr. Dickinson. They described a zone of erogenous sensitivity located along the suburethral surface of the anterior vaginal wall. What is remarkable about this particular area of erotic sensitivity is that women can expulse a fluid following orgasm and this has been called female ejaculation (Reeder, Martin, & Koniak-Griffin, 1997; Boston Woman's Health Book Collective, 1992). Much controversy exists over the G-spot and female ejaculation, but scientific research is emerging to confirm both aspects (Alzate & Hoch, 1986; Darling, Davidson, & Conway-Welch, 1990; Zaviacic & Whipple, 1993).

All women have this erogenous zone. Some women will never discover it, some are barely aware of it, and others are really G-spot women. Orgasm originating from the G-spot is different from clitorial orgasm: It is deeper and longer-lasting. Grafenberg wrote the following: “If there is an opportunity to observe the orgasm of such women, one can see that large quantities of a clear, transparent fluid are expelled not from the vulva, but out of the urethra in gushes . . . In cases observed by us, the fluid was examined and it had no urinary character . . . [S]ecretions of the intraurethral gland correlated with the erotogenic zone along the urethra in the anterior vaginal wall” (Grafenberg, 1950, p. 147).

How does one locate one's G-spot?

The G-spot is on the front wall of the vagina, halfway between the cervix and the back of the pubic bone, near the bladder. In certain women, this area is fairly large, about 1.5 cm. to 2 cm. in length. It feels like a series of ripples or muscular ridges. In the unstimulated female, the G-spot is soft, small, and the size of a bean. When it is stimulated, it can enlargen to the size of a ping pong ball. A woman can squat or lie on her back, introduce her index and middle fingers into the vagina, curve these fingers and she will feel the area. Putting pressure on this area is erotic and can lead to orgasm. The partner can continue through manual stimulation or with the penis during intercourse (Hooper, 1992). See illustration above.