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Question: I have a friend who had her clitoral hood removed. She says it feels better and sex is much better now. I am thinking of having it done also. If you could send me any information about this I would appreciate it.
Answer: Whether or not you should have this surgical procedure performed depends on your motive and the expected outcome. It is seldom a necessity, and can lead to new sexual challenges, especially if you are currently dissatisfied with your sexuality. Even if you are not dissatisfied with your sexuality, only seeking increased pleasure, you may not benefit as much as your friend, as you are unique individuals.
After hearing rave reviews in women's magazines and online many women automatically assume they will experience the same benefits. This may or may not be true in all cases. Only a small percentage of women have had this procedure performed, and far fewer have been studied to determine the likely or expected outcome. While we hear from the women who have benefited from it, we probably don't hear from those who haven't, and it is extremely unlikely that every woman benefits from the procedure, at least to the same degree. We are likely hearing one side of the story.
The hood protects the often times extremely sensitive clitoral glans from irritation and direct stimulation. Keep in mind the fact the clitoral glans has as many, if not more, nerves endings as the penile glans, only in a much smaller area. For this reason, many women find direct stimulation of their clitoris and/or clitoral glans painful rather than pleasurable. You may not want your sensitive clitoral glans constantly exposed to direct stimulation during masturbation, partnered sex, or from your clothing, while walking, etc.
The hood isn't just extra tissue that should be carelessly discarded. The inner surface of the clitoral hood has glands that produce sebum, a natural lubricant and antibacterial agent.
If you cannot reach orgasm or only do so with difficulty, removing you hood may or may not change this situation. There are many possible reasons for impaired orgasmic response, some physical or medical, others psychological. We have no way of predicting whether your clitoral glans will be overly sensitive, appropriately sensitive, or insensitive to direct stimulation. The procedure may not make up for shortcomings in your partner's sexual techniques and habits. If your partner has inadequate sexual skills, the last thing you will want is a exquisitely sensitive clitoris. You still may not experience orgasm during intercourse, and probably will not, unless you or your partner provide intentional and direct clitoral stimulation, which can be accomplished just as well with an intact hood. A Pocket Rocket vibrator or equivalent would offer a less costly and more reliable solution for those wanting more orgasms.
For some women, the benefits are purely psychological. They believe something that was broken has been fixed so they naturally expect more, or feel better about sex, and are as a result more sexual and sexually responsive. The brain is after all the largest sexual organ. Once the newness factor has worn off, things may return to the way they were prior to the surgery. Your partner's renewed interest in you may also wane with time, unless of course you find sex more enjoyable and actively seek out partnered sex, which didn't occur beforehand because you didn't enjoy or benefit from it. It would be dangerous to assume you will become a sex kitten as a result of this procedure.
Female circumcision, removal of the clitoral hood, has been presented as a form of sexual enhancement for about fifty years, yet it has never gained wide spread acceptance. For a period of time during the nineteen forties and fifties some doctors circumcised girls, teens, and women as a means of "curing" masturbation, while others performed the same procedure to increase sexual responsiveness during partnered sex. How can the same procedure have two totally different and opposite effects?
Educate yourself before having this procedure performed, do not base your decision solely on the experience of one person. See if there are alternative ways of enhancing your sexual pleasure with more predictable results. Circumcision is not a cure for a partner with poor sexual skills. There may also be a medical bases for you sexual dissatisfaction, which circumcision will not cure. If you experienced impaired sexual desire or arousal, altering your clitoris, a purely sensory organ, is extremely unlikely to change this.
When properly screened, the majority of women who are circumcised do report some benefit, but plastic surgeons seldom screen their patients; if you have the money, they will do it. They also charge a very high price for a relatively simple surgical procedure.
Some women may benefit from a procedure that increases the accessibility of their clitoral glans rather than one that leaves it completely exposed at all times. This may require the shortening of the hood and/or enlarging the opening in the hood rather than the complete removal of the hood. This specifically applies to women who cannot retract their hood to expose their clitoral glans and who find their clitoris insensitive to all forms of stimulation.
Clitoral adhesions should not be forcibly be removed, as the clitoral glans could be damaged in the process. The use of an estrogen or testosterone cream on the clitoris may result in the natural separation of the adhesions.
I provide links to information about female genital surgery on one of the pages in Links section; look under Plastic Surgeons. Also look at the page about Enhancement; there is a photograph of a woman's vulva before and after she had her hood and inner labia removed. You may also find some useful information on the page about Sexual Dissatisfaction.