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Journal of Sexual Medicine plans a debate about the existence of erogenous zone
Touchy area...
G-spot 'doesn't exist' claim ignores experiences of lesbians, says sexologist
Beverley Whipple, the sexologist who popularised the concept of the G-spot, has disputed a new scientific study which found no evidence of its existence, saying that it discounted the experiences of lesbian and bisexual women.
Researchers at King's College London published their findings in the Journal of Sexual Medicine earlier this week. Their study, involving 1,800 British women, concluded that the debated erogenous zone - supposedly a cluster of nerve endings located 2-5cm inside the vagina - exists only in the imagination of women influenced by proponents such as Whipple, who has written a number of books on the subject.
Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology and co-author of the research, said: "Women may argue that having a G-spot is due to diet or exercise, but in fact it is virtually impossible to find real traits. This is by far the biggest study ever carried out and it shows fairly conclusively that the idea of a G-spot is subjective."
In the research, identical and non-identical twins were asked whether they had a G-spot. If one identical twin reported having one, it would make it far more likely that her sister would give the same answer than would be the case with non-identical twins, who only share 50% of their genes. But no such pattern emerged, with the identical twins, who share all their genes, found to be no more likely than non-identical twins to report the existence of a G-spot.
Andrea Burri, who led the research, was concerned that women who feared they lacked a G-spot might have feelings of inadequacy or underachievement, saying: "It is rather irresponsible to claim the existence of an entity that has never really been proven and pressurise women - and men too."
But Whipple, the author of The G Spot and Other Discoveries About Human Sexuality, described the study as "flawed", having discounted the experiences of lesbian or bisexual women and failed to consider the effects of different sexual technique. "The biggest problem with their findings is that twins don't generally have the same sexual partner," she said.
However, the Journal of Sexual Medicine has said that it will continue the discussion about the existence or non-existence of the G-spot in a future debate which will include publication of research from the pro and anti camps.
