Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Nov 7;9(11):e110239.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110239. eCollection 2014.

Anatomic distribution of nerves and microvascular density in the human anterior vaginal wall: prospective study

Ting Li  1 , Qinping Liao  1 , Hong Zhang  2 , Xuelian Gao  1 , Xueying Li  3 , Miao Zhang  1
Affiliations

Anatomic distribution of nerves and microvascular density in the human anterior vaginal wall: prospective study

Ting Li et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: The presence of the G-spot (an assumed erotic sensitive area in the anterior wall of the vagina) remains controversial. We explored the histomorphological basis of the G-spot.

Methods: Biopsies were drawn from a 12 o'clock direction in the distal- and proximal-third areas of the anterior vagina of 32 Chinese subjects. The total number of protein gene product 9.5-immunoreactive nerves and smooth muscle actin-immunoreactive blood vessels in each specimen was quantified using the avidin-biotin-peroxidase assay.

Results: Vaginal innervation was observed in the lamina propria and muscle layer of the anterior vaginal wall. The distal-third of the anterior vaginal wall had significantly richer small-nerve-fiber innervation in the lamina propria than the proximal-third (p = 0.000) and in the vaginal muscle layer (p = 0.006). There were abundant microvessels in the lamina propria and muscle layer, but no small vessels in the lamina propria and few in the muscle layer. Significant differences were noted in the number of microvessels when comparing the distal- with proximal-third parts in the lamina propria (p = 0.046) and muscle layer (p = 0.002).

Conclusions: Significantly increased density of nerves and microvessels in the distal-third of the anterior vaginal wall could be the histomorphological basis of the G-spot. Distal anterior vaginal repair could disrupt the normal anatomy, neurovascular supply and function of the G-spot, and cause sexual dysfunction.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. PGP9.5 immunostaining: Vaginal tissue sections from the lamina propria layer (A) and muscle layer (C), nerve bundles indicated by blue arrowheads, small nerves indicated by small black arrows.
SMA immunostaining: Vaginal tissue sections from the lamina propria layer (B) and muscle layer (D). Scale bar represents 100 mm (200×magnification).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Perry JD, Whipple B (1981) Pelvic muscle strength of female ejaculators: Evidence in support of a new theory of orgasm. J Sex Res 17: 22–39.
    1. Gräfenberg E (1950) The role of urethra in female orgasm. Int J Sexol 3: 145–148.
    1. Lara LA, Useche B, Ferriani RA, Reis RM, de Sa MF, et al. (2009) The effects of hypoestrogenism on the vaginal wall: interference with the normal sexual response. J Sex Med 6: 30–39. - PubMed
    1. Davidson JK Sr, Darling CA, Conway-Welch C (1989) The role of the Grafenberg Spot and female ejaculation in the female orgasmic response: an empirical analysis. J Sex Marital Ther 15: 102–120. - PubMed
    1. Hilliges M, Falconer C, Ekman-Ordeberg G, Johansson O (1995) Innervation of the human vaginal mucosa as revealed by PGP 9.5 immunohistochemistry. Acta Anat (Basel) 153: 119–126. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources