Satisfying Sex for Women Requires Knowledge of the Female Pelvic Anatomy
Channel: BioBalance Healthcast
Date: 2021-01-04

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Warning: Today and in the next few Healthcast’s I will be discussing the female anatomy and sexual response. I will be speaking as if you are my patient in my office and graphically explaining the anatomy of the female body during sex, e.g., and how orgasms involve many areas of stimulation how the body responds to various stimuli. if you want to put on earphones or move to a private area so others will not hear this discussion, then please do!

Introduction: 
I wasn’t an OBGYN very long, in the 1980s, before I realized that many of my patients, both old and young, were unaware of their own sexual anatomy and were appalled at the idea of touching their own vulva or vagina for any reason. When I did their pelvic exam in my office, they rarely understood what the proper names for their own anatomy was, such as what the name vulva (the area around the outside of the vagina), or clitoral hood (the skin that protects the clitoris) meant or where these areas are located. I realize that things have changed a lot in society’s role of women and in an expanded latitude in the sexual freedom of women in the US, however during this time I did not find that my patients became more comfortable talking about their own sexual anatomy!   The age of my female patients and their marital status didn’t seem to make a difference in their anatomical knowledge.  When I would do their pelvic exam, I always described what I was checking and whether they had normal anatomy or not.  I’d point out the G spot, cervix, and clitoris, as I checked them for abnormalities like fibroids and ovarian cysts, and often they would stare blankly at me like I was speaking another language. This discussion today and next week is the result of those repeated interactions with my patients, in order to educate my listeners as to their own female anatomy and why knowledge of your body is necessary to experiencing great sex.

 Why can’t we comfortably talk about our sexual organs and how they work?

The reproductive organs are hard to talk about in this country because we are still living in a sexually repressed society that considers sex “dirty” instead of beautiful and healthy, and we learn from very early that “touching ourselves” even in private, is “bad” or a sin.  This relegates anything sexual to hiding our sexual feelings, repressing our desires even from our spouse and being embarrassed of our own naked bodies. Other countries don’t have the same inhibitions.  For example, we were in Austria at a spa while we experienced a road trip in Europe when I realized that the American standards were not the same in other countries. My husband and I decided to go for a swim at the spa right after we checked in to a hotel-spa in 1999 in Innsbruck, Austria.  He and I put our suits on and robe and proceeded to the pool.  We were confused when there was just one locker room to change and as we walked in together, we were met with dozens of beautiful naked bodies. We were taken aback as we had not experienced this at home in the US and were uncomfortable with completely disrobing…. everyone at the spa tried to explain to us that that nakedness was required, and I am embarrassed to say we went back to our room…. At that time, I had not progressed to the point of being comfortable naked in public.  However live and learn and thankfully I don’t feel that way anymore the human body is beautiful, no matter who you are or what you weigh, and it is a miraculous “machine” that we should be proud of! I admit that the American beliefs seem to be stuck in the Victorian era: The human body should be covered and is nasty or implies loose morals to show too much of your body.  This also extends to the belief that “nice” or “good” women should not enjoy sex, and certainly shouldn’t masturbate or use a vibrator to satisfy their sexual desires.  What society holds out as its standards and what women do privately are generally different, but the shroud of secrecy that blocks women from sharing information with their girlfriends, spouse or doctors blocks American women from developing a healthy attitude about their own sexual anatomy.