Where does the term “G-spot” even come from? The “G” in G-spot refers to Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg, a German physician. In 1951, Dr. Gräfenberg reported that the female urethra is surrounded by erectile tissue similar to a man’s penis and that with sexual stimulation the female urethra enlarges and swells. He did not describe a specific spot in the vagina associated with orgasm nor did he describe a female prostate or female ejaculation. Those concepts originated in 1981 when Dr. Gräfenberg’s research was misrepresented, and the term “G-spot” was coined in reference to an erotically sensitive area (the “female prostate”) along the urethra that was the source of female ejaculation. Since then, G-spot amplification has been touted as a procedure to enhance sexual sensitivity of this area despite lack of convincing scientific evidence that a G-spot even exists. In 2012, Dr. Adam Ostrzenski, a gynecologist, reported on finding the G-spot in one 83-year old cadaver while a later study of 13 cadavers ages 32-97 years failed to identify a G-spot at all. (It’s probably worth mentioning that Dr. Ostrzenski performs G-spot injections.)
G-spot amplification, or augmentation, is a cosmetic procedure that involves an injection of a filler in the alleged G-spot to temporarily increase its size and sensitivity. Fillers include collagen, fat, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and hyaluronic acid. It’s important to note that G-spot amplification has not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states that for G-spot amplification (and other genital cosmetic surgery) “safety and effectiveness have not been established.”
As a woman I would love for there to be a G-spot that could reliably be stimulated to achieve amazing orgasms. Unfortunately, as a surgeon who has operated on thousands of vaginas, I don’t think there is an anatomic G-spot. Hundreds of pelvic floor surgeons, including myself, regularly operate in this exact area all the time, and I have never seen any structure that I would think is the G-spot. I imagine if the G-spot was a discrete area, the majority of women would report impaired orgasm after vaginal surgery.
But does the debate over whether the G-spot exists or not even matter? Different women are stimulated by different areas of their genitals, so frankly I don’t care what the name is of any area as long as stimulating it feels good. Regardless of whether the G-spot is a myth or reality, the only important thing is that a woman finds whatever her G-spot is so that she can fully enjoy herself. And on that note, if a woman wants to amplify her G-spot or have vaginal rejuvenation—more power to her…as long as she is informed of the risks and benefits.