What Is the G-Spot, and How Do You Find It?

Few body parts have been debated, explored, and pursued as much as the elusive G-spot. 

Generally, the G-spot is considered an area of increased sensitivity and erotic pleasure that's located on the front vaginal wall. When stimulated during sex, the G-spot may be your ticket to orgasm from penetration alone.

Other researchers deny the G-spot's existence entirely. Still, the general consensus is that the G-spot does, in fact, exist — even if researchers don't quite agree on its exact location, nature, and size. Some folks also report a very real physical response when this area is touched.

Here's what we know, and still don't know, about the G-spot. Plus how to locate it and tap into its orgasmic powers.  

What Is The G-Spot?

The G-spot is an erogenous zone, an area that triggers sexual arousal, located in the vagina. The G-spot gets its name from Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg, who was one of the first doctors to describe the area in medical literature. But, mentions of a "G-spot" date back to 11th century India. 

In 1950, Gräfenberg described "an erotic zone always could be demonstrated on the anterior wall of the vagina along the course of the urethra." It wasn't until the 1980s, however, that other researchers named the area after him, shortened it to G-spot, and made it famous.

There is still some debate about whether this spot is its own sexual organ or part of the clitoral network. In a 2012 study, a doctor dissected a cadaver and identified the G-spot as a sac with erectile-like tissue on the upper vaginal wall. But other doctors expressed doubts about the finding, and a later study conducted in 2017 didn't find the same structure.

More recent research shows the G-spot is most likely part of the clitoral network. The external part of the clitoris is a small nub that sits above the opening of the urethra. However, the clitoris actually extends into the vagina in a horseshoe shape. This "clitoral network" is full of sensitive nerve endings. So when the G-spot is stimulated during sex, you may actually be stimulating part of the clitoris.

Where Is Your G-Spot?

The G-spot is located a few centimeters along the inner front wall of the vagina — the top wall if you're lying down on your back. "It's a few inches up, about a third of the way, although it varies from person to person," Jennifer Berman, MD, a urologist and female sexual medicine specialist at Berman Women's Wellness Center in Beverly Hills, told Health.

The G-spot is a bit higher for some folks, while for others, it may be closer to the vaginal opening.

How to Find Your G-Spot  

You should be able to feel your own G-spot using your fingers by exploring the upper, inner wall of the vagina. Try inserting a finger, palm up, and make a "come here" motion with your finger. "It feels a bit rougher, kind of like an orange peel," said Berman, "and sometimes it can be pulled back in the fold, so you might have to fish around a bit."

When you're on the hunt for your G-spot, you may suddenly feel an urgent need to urinate. Don't panic. This sensation is normal, given the G-spot's close proximity to your urethra, which is what you pee out of. Some folks may also feel no sensations at all. "But for many [people], in the context of sexual relations, it's extremely pleasurable," said Berman.

If you have trouble locating your G-spot, try using a sex toy that is angled upward and designed to (literally) hit the spot. 

G-Spot Sex Positions

To hit the G-spot during penetrative sex, choose positions that point a penis or sex toy toward the upper front wall of the vagina. 

Many sex positions can help you reach the G-spot, but here are some basic ones to get you started:

• Cowgirl: The partner with a vagina straddles the partner doing the penetrating, who lies on their back. This allows the partner on top to change the angle and hit the G-spot, but a 45-degree angle is a good place to start.
• Doggy style: The partner with a penis kneels and enters the partner with a vagina from behind, who is on all fours. To adjust, the partner with a vagina can lie down or prop their knees on pillows until they feel G-spot stimulation.

Are G-Spot Orgasms More Powerful?

Whether vaginal orgasms and clitoral orgasms should truly be classified as different things is still up for debate. But many folks with vaginas say that orgasms from stimulating their G-spot – either alone, with a vibrator, or with a partner – feel unique.

"The nerves that convey clitoral sensation are different from the pelvic and vagus nerves that convey vaginal sensation," said Barry Komisaruk, PhD, distinguished professor of psychology at Rutgers University Newark. "So it is not surprising that the orgasms that are stimulated by one or the other of these nerves feel different from each other." 

Komisaruk has even demonstrated this difference by studying patients with severed spinal cords. Even when folks had no sensation in their clitoris, they could still experience pleasure – and orgasm – through vaginal stimulation.

This phenomenon has been reported in medical literature, too. Studies have described clitoral orgasms as "localized, intense, and physically satisfying." While vaginal orgasms are described as "stronger and longer lasting" and "more psychologically satisfying," with "whole-body sensation" and "throbbing feelings."

Does the G-Spot Trigger Female Ejaculation?

Stimulating the G-spot can also cause a sudden release of clear fluid from the urethra. This phenomenon is sometimes known as female ejaculation or squirting. Some experts think something called the Skene's glands play a role. These glands in the G-spot area produce a fluid that helps lubricate the female urethra. They are also thought to have some of the same components as the male prostate (what’s considered the "male G-spot").

Like the G-spot itself, female ejaculation and squirting are also debated. Some experts believe this fluid is diluted urine, and others note female ejaculate and squirting fluid are two different types of fluid.

Do ‘G-Shots’ Really Work?

Some doctors and plastic surgeons offer injections – either of collagen or of platelet-rich plasma (also called PRP, a sample of your blood that's concentrated with platelets). They say these injections will make the G-spot area larger or more sensitive to touch, thereby enhancing pleasure. But so far, no clinical trials have shown that these "G-shot" or "O-shot" procedures actually make a difference, said Dr. Berman.

"There is some anecdotal evidence of women getting these shots and experiencing increased sexual arousal or enhanced orgasms," she said. "But keep in mind that humans are highly suggestive: Sexual response and sexual chemistry have a lot to do with emotion, and so if these women are paying money for a treatment, they may very well be experiencing a powerful placebo effect."

A Quick Review 

It can take time, and a lot of practice, to find your G-spot. Keep exploring your body and experiment with what feels good. Not everyone will feel the same sensations in or around their vaginas – and some folks may not orgasm from G-spot stimulation. 

Luckily, there are plenty of other ways to orgasm and more erogenous zones all over the body. Clitoral stimulation can help you climax if you're not getting anywhere with the G-spot.

But some people also become aroused— and may even orgasm — when their nipples, lips, ears, neck, fingers, or toes are also brought into play.