Medical training and anatomical study have long given far less attention to female genital anatomy than male anatomy, leaving basic questions—size, location and internal structure of the clitoris—poorly covered. A new high‑resolution 3D imaging study from Amsterdam University Medical Center helps narrow that gap by revealing the detailed course of the clitoral sensory nerves.
Led by neuroscientist Ju Young Lee, the team used synchrotron radiation tomography, an X‑ray technique with much finer resolution than MRI, to scan two female bodies donated to science. This method allowed the researchers to follow small peripheral nerve fibers in three dimensions. They traced the dorsal nerve of the clitoris—the main sensory nerve—through the pelvis into the clitoral glans. Inside the glans they observed several large nerve trunks branching in a tree‑like pattern toward the surface; some trunks were up to about 0.7 millimeters in diameter. Rather than a simple tapering of fibers, the scans show a complex branching network, with some branches extending into the clitoral hood and even reaching the mons pubis.
Experts emphasize the study does not discover a previously unknown structure but rather provides the first clear three‑dimensional map of these terminal nerve branches. Earlier dissections and MRI studies had suggested similar anatomy but lacked the resolution to show the full trajectory and branching shown here.
The work builds on prior MRI research by Australian urologist Helen O’Connell, who demonstrated that much of the clitoris is internal: when internal structures are included the organ measures roughly 8 to 12 centimeters, with erectile tissue extending beneath the pubic bone and around the vaginal opening. The glans is only the visible external portion.
Lee contributed the clitoral scans to the Human Organ Atlas Hub project to ensure the organ is not overlooked in large‑scale anatomical mapping. Since the preprint became available, surgeons have reached out saying the images could help them avoid nerve injury during vulvar operations.
Clinically, the findings are relevant to a range of procedures: repairs after childbirth, gender‑affirming surgeries, and reconstruction following genital mutilation. Senior gynecologists note that undergraduate and postgraduate training often covers the clitoris inadequately, which can leave clinicians unaware that postoperative pain, sensory loss or sexual dysfunction may stem from surgical or childbirth‑related nerve damage. The researchers and clinicians compare this to penile surgery, where nerve preservation is an established priority—illustrating a broader gender gap in medical knowledge and standards.
The authors caution that their study is an advance but not a complete picture. It analyzed only two postmortem samples from older women, so how clitoral anatomy and innervation vary across puberty, pregnancy, the menstrual cycle and menopause remains unclear. The team and outside experts call for larger, more diverse samples and further research using additional technologies to map anatomy and function across the lifespan.
These 3D maps are an important step toward better understanding and protecting clitoral nerves in clinical practice, but broader study is needed to translate detailed anatomy into improved surgical protocols and patient outcomes.