The hunt for the mythical G-spot: Why some women can find it and others can't.

It’s one of the hot-button issues of female sexuality. The G-spot. A magical place inside women that, when reached in the right way, promises toe-curling orgasms.

So why don’t all women (or their partners) manage to find it? Does it really exist? And what does it take to get there?

For the answers, Mamamia‘s daily news podcast, The Quicky, spoke to Dr Jane Chalmers, Lecturer in Physiotherapy at Western Sydney University.

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What is a G-spot? And where is it?

The G-spot is purportedly a highly erogenous area on the front wall of the vagina, typically about 5-8cm in.

It’s named after a bloke called Eric Grafenberg, a German gynecologist whose research in the 1940s documented a sensitive vaginal zone along the course of the urethra in some women. It became known as the “Granfenberg spot”, or G-spot for short.

So, the G-spot does exist, then?

No, not exactly.

While the clitoris, for example, is a physical structure in the body, that isn’t the case for the ‘G-spot’ — there isn’t an identifiable thing in that location.

In the early days of Grafenberg’s research, that lead many to deny his findings altogether.

And even today, there’s still no scientific consensus about why the area is a source of pleasure for some.

The reason for that lack of understanding, Dr Chalmers said, has a lot to do with the taboo nature of female sexuality and historical male dominance in medical research.

“But lots of research at the moment is underway and understanding differences between men and women. So I expect to see that our understanding of the female anatomy, as well as female arousal, will really start to grow in coming years,” she said.

In the meantime, she refers to the G-spot as a “hypothetical region”.

Wait. If the G-spot is “hypothetical”, why can some women achieve pleasure from it?

“In short, we’re not really sure,” Dr Chalmers said. “But basically, we think that when pressure is applied to the G-spot, it’s activating the clitoris from the inside as well as the vaginal wall and the female prostate.

“These areas are all full of rich nerves and blood supply, which is why it can be so sensitive and so erogenous for many women.

The Quicky gets intimate and explores the great hunt for the G-spot. (Post continues below.)

“It’s also why we think when women have a vaginal orgasm [that is, via internal stimulation], these orgasms are described as being much more diffuse and a whole-body experience, as opposed to a more superficial orgasm, which is normally achieved just through that clitoral activation alone.”

How many women have a ‘G-spot’?

It’s estimated that roughly 60 per cent of women can have an orgasm through vaginal stimulation. The rest rely on external stimulation of the clitoris, for example.

“I cannot stress enough how totally normal it is if women find that G-spot stimulation doesn’t feel good,” Dr Chalmers said.

“For lots of women, it just makes them feel like they need to do a wee. And for others, it just feels like pressure that is neither positive nor negative.”

How does one… find it?

It’s a matter of exploration, and likely a little trial and error.

Because of where the ‘G-spot’ is located — remember: the front vaginal wall, about 5cm up — it can be tricky for women to locate by themselves. In that case, a curved sex toy or a partner can be helpful, according to Dr Chalmers.

If you’re lying on your back… “your partner inserts one or two fingers into your vagina and then they make a ‘come here’ motion with their fingers, where they curl them up slightly and apply gentle pressure on that front wall of the vagina.

“If they feel like a little bit of swelling is coming up underneath their fingers, that means they’re in the right spot.”

If stimulating that area doesn’t lead to a pleasurable sensation, Dr Chalmers recommends that women try contracting their pelvic floor muscles (like when you need to stop a wee).

“It helps the clitoris to move downwards and closer to the vaginal wall, which means they’re more likely to achieve orgasm through that G-spot stimulation,” she said.

Still nothing?

No worries! At all. As always, when it comes to sex, go with whatever feels good for you.

Featured image: Getty.