SEXUAL HEALTH: A shot in the right spot

I met Dorcas for the first time three years ago. She was newly married then and she came to the clinic with her husband John, to learn how to maximise satisfaction in their sex lives. Dorcas wanted to know whether there was anything like a g-spot and where it was in her body, and if it had a role in sexual satisfaction. The couple listened keenly as I told them about the g-spot. Later that night John called me on the phone to tell me that they had discovered it.

That was three years ago. This week Dorcas was back with a new request. She wanted g-spot enhancement surgery. “My friend travelled to America and got it at a clinic there,” she explained. “She has had explosive orgasms since then.”

You may know that the g-spot is an area the size of a Sh5 coin in the middle-front part of the vaginal wall. It was first described many years ago by a German gynaecologist, Dr Ernst Grafenberg. The area has a concentration of nerves that makes it super sensitive. Stimulation of the area is highly pleasurable and leads to vaginal orgasm and sometimes female ejaculation, also called squirting.

There are two different types of orgasm: clitoral, arising from the clitoris, and vaginal, arising from the g-spot. Vaginal orgasm can further be complemented by stimulation arising from the cervix. It is quite intense and different from orgasm that arises from stimulation of the clitoris. Women who have had both types of orgasm know the difference pretty well.

Back to Dorcas’ request: Is there a way of enhancing the g-spot so that women benefit from it maximally? Sexologists have explored this question and a lot of work has gone into answering it. One procedure that has been found to work is what is called the ‘G shot’. A protein – usually collagen or other hard-to-dissolve material – is injected in the g-spot area underneath the vaginal wall causing the spot to bulge. The swollen g-spot is much easier to reach and stimulate. Many sexology clinics in America now provide this service.

NOTHING COMPLICATED

“And you, do you do the procedure?” Dorcas asked, her face brightening up.

The cost of the medicine for this procedure is quite prohibitive, although the procedure itself is nothing complicated. However there are unresolved ethical issues here. G-spot enhancement and other forms of treatment such as vaginal tightening are, for some people, a form of female genital mutilation. Some sections of society may not support them.

“No, no, no. FGM is quite a different issue, Doctor,” Dorcas interrupted. “FGM has harmful medical consequences and it is also a way of subjugating women. It causes them to not enjoy sex. G-spot enhancement is a way of empowering women to enjoy their sexuality!” Dorcas was beginning to get emotional about this.

That is the bone of contention. How many communities want women to enjoy their sexuality? Through the ages, communities have portrayed women who enjoy sex as immoral, promiscuous or evil. Men can explore sexual pleasure but women are expected to wait for their man to take lead. Should a man fail to satisfy the woman, she has to learn to live with it. Many marriages have suffered as a result of this unfortunate view of female sexuality. The result is deterioration in intimacy over time before the couple finally drifts apart.

“Well put, Doctor. So can I have my G shot?” Dorcas asked, looking at me straight in the eye.

I stared back at her helplessly. We would have to import the medicine to have the procedure done. This would require not only money but also time to ensure that regulatory standards for importing the drug are met.

“Well, if you believe that women in Africa deserve equal sexual rights as those in America, I ask that you import the medicine as a matter of urgency,” Dorcas said, throwing her hands in the air as she walked out of the clinic disappointed.