Clitoral circumcision: Refers to the surgical procedure in which the hood of the females clitoris (called the clitoral prepuce) is removed. However, the term is often confused in modern day writings with ritual procedures performed in Egypt and in other countries as noted below. On the CIRCLIST website, we refer to female circumcision as only the removal of the hood of the clitoris unless otherwise noted.
Sunna circumcision: Consists of the removal of the tip of the clitoris, sometimes performed by cutting a hole in a piece of cloth and placing it over the area to be cut, limiting the size of the area. In certain cases the clitoris is just nicked with a knife or razor, in parts of Mexico and South America, the sign of the cross is cut into it. Sunna, in Arabic, means "tradition". The clitoral hood is also sometimes removed.
Clitoridectomy: sometimes referred to as excision, which involves the removal of the entire clitoris, rather than just the tip. The labia minora; the inside lips of the vagina are also sometimes removed, but the outer labia are left intact. The vaginal opening is left open and unchanged, rather than sewn together, as in the case of Pharaonic Circumcision.
Pharaonic Circumcision: the entire clitoris is removed, as well as the inner and outer labia (minora and majora), scraping of the sides of the vulva and then joining them together and sewing them up with thread or catgut, or sometimes closing them with thorns. A small opening is left in order that urine and menstrual blood may pass through. This is also sometimes referred to as infibulations. A woman who has had this procedure must be cut open to allow childbirth, and then is re-sewn to ensure faithfulness to her husband.
I'm a female, and I was circumcised a little over two years ago to correct a problem of a hidden clitoris, I couldn't get enough stimulation to it normally, without going through some uncomfortable maneuvers. I had a friend who had it done and it helped her, so I complained to my GYN about my difficulties. My GYN was hesitant to do it and I had to tell her several times how much trouble I was having reaching orgasm during intercourse because I had such a long hood. Finally I said I would do it myself if she refused. This got her attention and we set up an appointment a few days later and she circumcised me. She had me sign a paper that she was not responsible for any problems caused by the operation and it was at my request. I guess she was protecting herself since so many DR's are being sued if something goes wrong.
The results of the operation were wonderful and I only wish I had known about it sooner.
As far as the hypersensitivity issue, it's more a matter of getting used to the feeling and mentally putting it out of your mind until you have sex.
Kathy (USA)
I recently had my clitoral hood removed (female circumcision) to improve sensitivity and cleanliness as it was such a long hood. I had some pain during healing, but that has been minimal. Healing has been rapid.
The glans clitoris has slowly increased in size since the operation. The sensitivity is also there and my ability to orgasm has increased be cause of it.
I think that all women should consider have their hoods removed as it would aid in cleanliness of the area and grreatly improving orgasm! I'm totally satisfied!
Female circumcision (i.e. foreskin removal) is an operation not widely known by females - and usually not widely known by doctors who may be called upon to practice it. Contrary to the recurrent idea in sex manuals today, most females, even in Western countries, had very little idea about their anatomy until the 1950s, and only a minority had any idea what a clitoris was, what it could do for them, and - last but not least - that it had to be cleaned. A good number of female friends whom I've discussed this with have found to have adherences that were extremly unpleasant, causing itching, redness, soreness - just like under the foreskin of uncircumcised boys.
Based on the above, it would seem easy to follow my advice. However, there has been some debate on whether circumcising clitoral hoods did not, in some cases, cause a problem in women - i.e., making the sensitivity of their clits impossible to control. The clitoris is not a penis. It does not thrust to orgasm, is attached to the belly, moves back and forth in the slit. It can be irritated easily (a phenomenon reported for a while by all freshly circumcised women), but certainly bring greater orgasms when it is totally naked. The few cases we see, however, like mine, are insufficient to form a real idea of the benefits of circumcision in females. Obviously for me it did provide many benefits. But it may not for you. I do not know enough circumcised women to form a wide sweeping opinion on this.
Probably one of the best ways to deal with this subject would be to have a clitoral exam when a female reaches a certain sexual maturity (around her twenties). Gynecological exams before then are usually an unpleasant, and sometimes traumatic experience for a girl. The doctor would not only check the vagina, the rectum, and the cervix, but also the sensitivity of the clitoris, the degree to which the hood adheres to the tip, and whether it would be beneficial or not to have a hood removal - which takes 15 minutes under local anesthesia, at the most. It would also be an ideal time to discuss clitoral hygeine with women, and the need for regular clitoral hood retraction and washing. This would enable women to add to the sexual pleasure - giving them greater sexual confidence. It would also give women a basis for which to decide if they believe they would benefit from female circumcision, as I have.
Cindy (USA)
When my girlfriend found a doctor to remove her prepuce (hood), he told her that Marilyn Monroe had also had this surgery.
Female
Circumcision: A Factual Bibliography with Annotation
by K. N. Wheeler
As far as I know, there have only been two published personal reports (both by the same woman) by someone who has actually had the surgery. Both were by Cathrine Kellison, and both were published in Playgirl magazine. The second article substantially repeats what was published in the first article. Kellison claims to know several women who had the surgery, and claims that she and all of these other women have all enjoyed substantial erotic benefits as a result of the surgery.
Kellison,
Cathrine. "Circumcision for Women." Playgirl 1.5 (October,
1973). 76, 124-125.
"$100 Surgery for a Million-Dollar Sex Life." Playgirl 2.12
(May, 1975). 52-55.
To the best of my knowledge, there have been four medical studies of circumcision of the clitoral hood (prepuce). The earliest report concerns a procedure that does not actually remove the clitoral prepuce, but stretches it in such a way as to obtain the result that "It is seldom that the prepuce will overgrow again once it has been opened." The other three report on results obtained from the actual surgical removal of the clitoral prepuce. All four report a striking percentage of those who had the procedure done experience enhanced sexual enjoyment.
McDonald,
C. F. "Circumcision of the Female." General Practitioner
18.3 (September, 1958). 98-99.
(Claims to have circumcised "perhaps
40 patients," including some adult women.
Among the adult women who underwent the procedure, "Very thankful
patients were the reward. For the
first time in their lives, sex ambition became normally satisfied" [98].)
Rathmann,
W. G. "Female Circumcision, Indications and a New
Technique." General
Practitioner 20.3 (September, 1959). 115-120.
(Sent out a questionnaire to women whose prepuces he had removed, and
received 112 replies. Of the
72 women who reported having never experienced
an orgasm prior to the surgery, 9 [12.4%] reported
continued failure to achieve orgasm; 64 [87.6%] reported successful
achievement of orgasm after the surgery.
Of the 39 who reported achieving
orgasm only with difficulty prior to the surgery, 5 [12.5%]
reported no improvement; 34 [87.5%] reported improvement after the
surgery. Rathmann provides a
number of indications and contraindications for the surgery, and invented a new clamp
for the procedure.
Wollman,
Leo."Hooded Clitoris: Preliminary Report."
The Journal of the American
Society of Psychosomatic Dentistry and Medicine 20.1
(1973), 3-4.
(Provides a "Statistical analysis of one hundred cases."
Not clear whether the statistics Wollman reports include all one
hundred women [32 of whom were not circumcisedösee below] or a statistical report of those who were circumcised.
In this study, he reports the frequency of sexual intercourse before treatment
as 3 times per week on average;
after treatment as 5 times per week on average.
49 women were able to attain orgasm prior to treatment; 92
after. 92 subjectively report improvement in intensity of sexual
response, rapidity of sexual response, and/or greater number of
orgasms; 7 subjectively report no change, and 1 subjectively reports
being worse off. The longest time since treatment was 20 years; 64
patients were followed up after 5 years since treatment.
The treatment occurred in
Wollman's office 98 times; in the hospital [at
patient's request] 2 times.)
_______.
"Female Circumcision." The Journal of the American Society of
Psychosomatic Dentistry and Medicine 20.4 (1973), 130-131.
(Reports on one hundred consecutive patients referred to him by
psychoanalysts and clinical psychologists. "Sixty eight benefited by
surgical female circumcision: of the remaining thirty-two,
twenty-eight showed no need for this procedure; four refused to be
treated by this technique.")
Crist,
Takey. "Female Circumcision." Medical
Aspects of Human Sexuality 11.8
(August, 1977), 77.
(Reports on Crist's circumcision of
fifteen women, and provides a list of four conditions for when the
surgery would be indicated: "a) they could achieve orgasm only by
masturbation and/or oral sex, b) they could have orgasm in the lateral or
female-superior positions only, c) they stated, "it feels
good, I get there, but suddenly it's over," d) they had a positive cotton-tip test, where patients felt a distinct difference
when a cotton-tipped applicator was
applied directly to the clitoris when the foreskin
was retracted as opposed to application to the foreskin"
[77]. Crist's study
concludes, "Patients who have undergone this
procedure have generally commented that they have enhanced sexual response.")
Scott,
F. Brantley. "Nerve Endings in Glans Clitoris vs. Glans Penis."
Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality. 15.7 (July, 1981), 88.
(Several argumentsösome, by famous sexologists, such as Masters and
Johnsonöhave been published over the years claiming that the removal of
the clitoral hood should not be compared to the removal of
the male foreskin, on the ground that the clitoral glans was much more
sensitive to stimulation than the male glans. Scott's brief answer to a question sent to the journal would
appear to count against any such
claim: "Anatomic studies have shown that on a per centimeter
surface area, the number of nerve endings in the glans clitoris is
equal to that in the same surface area of the glans penis" [88]. The same
evidence would seem to support the surgical removal of the
clitoral hood, for women who find its presence has the effect of
dampening stimulation, on the simple ground that the clitoral glans is
so much smaller, and thus offers less opportunity for stimulation than
does the male glans.)
I do not list these in the bibliography, though several have been published, because they are generally not supported by either the personal experience of their authors, or by epidemiological medical studiesöor if such evidence is cited, the citations are all to the above materials, or else to others' statements of opinion.
In most cultures where removal of the clitoris and the inner labia is customary, a teenage female who did not get it done as a child will require it because she's usually considered unclean and unfit by her society. The pleasure of being a full-fledged female in her society far outweighs the doubtful pleasures she might obtain from having rubbed an organ that she herself would consider a disgusting piece of virile meat between her soft thighs. Which in no way justifies or defends the violent and unhygienic way clitoral removal is usually done in many Arab and African cultures. In a number of countries, the operation is now performed by qualified surgeons, preventing girls and women from being savagely mutilated and infected by blind elderly women wielding rusty razor blades or shards of glass. I made love to two women whose clit and inner lips had been removed according to custom - one from Egypt, one from Morocco - and both turned out to be extremely pleasant lovers, less hurried than most Western females I`ve known, more attentive to my moves, but extremely demanding in terms of hardness, durability, and all-body contact during sex. Both offered their anuses (vaginas have to be reserved for marriage), had powerful orgasms, and had extremely sensitive nipples. A woman`s interest in sex is not limited to her clit and her inner lips, which she usually discovers late in her teenage years, and sometimes not at all: a woman is a whole, not a collection of parts.
I had 4 female partners for extended lengths of time, and they were all different "down there". My first companion was as described by someone else - she absolutely hated having anything between her large lips. Her labia and her clit were totally insensitive, but she was a delightful lover, and had strong orificial orgasms. She positively hated any contact with her clit and her labia, which, fortunately, were quite small. My second companion enjoyed vaginal and anal sex tremendously, but, despite a good-size clit naturally uncapped, couldn't have cared less about oral sex on her: It did strictly nothing. She'd have had no qualms about getting her "giblets", as she said, removed. My third companion was totally vaginal, considering clit play, at best, as child's play - definitely not enough to reach orgasm. Her vagina was amazingly contractile, very hungry for cock, and her nipples were amazingly sensitive. My fourth companion is highly clitoral, although she craves hard vaginal sex after a good clitoral orgasm or instead of it. She considers clit play, even to orgasm, only as an aperitif, definitely not as a meal by itself.
Out of four women (not counting short-term relationships and flings), only one could therefore properly be called clitoral - and, even in her case, vaginal sex is largely preferred to clit play. Which means that in 75% of cases in this example (which does not claim to be a scientific sample of the population, but certainly does not support the idea that the clitoris is the end-all and be-all of female sex) removal of clit and labia would not have altered the sexuality of the females - and would have done mildly so in the 4th case, as vaginal pleasures are still considered supreme compared to clitoral ones.
Some Would Say VERY Clitoral!
The goal of those women seeking the removal of their clitoral hood is unequivocally to achieve better clitoral stimulation. I don't know a single woman who would call her clitoris unimportant. Since the modern study of human sexuality began, medical science has confirmed the critical role of the clitoris in female sexual stimulation. The clitoris is not just the small mound, visible to the eye, but a large network of nerves that extend around the upper genital area past the urethra (and in some women down to the top of the vagina itself). While some women and cultures seek to remove the clitoris, I believe many women would find their sexual pleasure diminished or removed by removal of the clitoris.
The external portion of the clitoris is often the center of female sexual pleasure, at least for me and those I know. It is the pathway to the deeper pleasure structures within and thus the road to orgasm. To un-hood the clitoris by female circumcision can therefore greatly improve a women's orgasm, much as circumcision often improves the male orgasm. Viva la clitoris!
French Couple Advocates Both Male and Female Circumcision
We are a French couple , 32 years old, from Metz, in the east of France. I am Pascale (wife), my husband is Marc. We have 3 children, 2 girls, one boy.
We are strongly interested in male AND female circumcision, especially female because male circumcision is not a problem for us. My husband has been circumcised (well circumcised) for 3 years.
Marc (my husband) has a very tight circumcision with the frenulum completely removed. It was done 3 years ago, voluntarily, and without any medical reason, only to be very clean and erotic (I write my opinion!) Marc is very happy.
Mathieu (my son) also has a very tight circumcision, frenulum completely removed. We had him circumcised completely at birth. He is now 3 years old and his circumcision looks very good.
Unhappily I am not not yet circumcised, but I WANT it. We are searching information, testimonies, addresses for my female circumcision. I think that female circumcision is analogous to male circumcision and is also necessary to the couple's sex live. I think it should be better to allow female circumcision . I am now speaking about cutting the hood and the labia minora. I am also searching for information about the complete cutting of the clitoris.
When I was 19 y o, I had a (girl) friend that told to me that she was cut off like an African woman: She had lived in UpperVolta (now Burkina Faso), with her parents, and her mother thought it was a good practice to be cut: All the females of the family were cut in a local hospital by a nurse. She had no regrets and was not ashamed to be a White French Excised woman. She showed me the result of the operation. I thought I would like to be like her.
Last years in Cap d'Agde, a huge naturist town in the south of France , we saw a couple of smooth circumcised Dutch: They had no pubic hair (like us), and the wife had her nipples pierced with rings. Also her clitoris was pierced and had no hood and was ever protruding. She had no labia minora. I want absolutely to be cut and pierced like her.
Female Circ Practices in Egypt
Yes I am an Egyptian Muslim. In Egypt 98% of females are circumcised, and it is practiced between all levels (Muslims and Christians, rich and poor, ...)
The actual difference is in the age and amount being cut. In educated rich families girls are circumcised between 5-8 years by doctors who cut only a very small part of the Clitoris. When families are less rich they circumcise girls in older ages (up to 16 years old ) by less experienced people (midwifes) and cut more deeply.
Pharaonic Circumcision is a term used in literature and by the Sudanese; and is synonymous with such western terms as female infibulation and female genitial mutilation. During Pharaonic circumcision, the clitoris and labia minora are removed and then the labia majora is sewn closed while leaving a small opening at the vulva for urination and release of menstrual blood (Boddy, 1982). This type of female circumcision is a subject widely debated across political, academic and religious fields due to the outrage and lack of understanding of the social context by Western and European peoples.
Anonymous
Female Circ Practices in Pakistan
As far as Pakistan is concerned it happens for 5-10% of the female population. It is carried out in lower middle and lower classes, especially in the rural areas. The age group is the same as in Egypt ( i.e. 8-10 years.) I can not say much about what is cut and how much is cut because of lack on any statistics and information. For social classes above middle living in cities it seldom is performed. So much so that a big segment of female population is not even aware of the issue. Yes, that is true! That is all I can say on female circumcision in Pakistan.
I am not aware of any circumcised female relative of mine and their is hardly any chance. As far as male one is concerned. In cities it is 85% done at birth and the remaining get circ'd at 5-8years. Whereas, in rural areas, 70% are circumcised at birth and remaining in later years with 10years as max
Regards,
Jaffer
For a complete report on the Rathmann Female Circumcision Clamp technique, select this item.
Labiaplasty
Below is the text of an article, New hot cosmetic surgery for women, from the Toronto
Globe and Mail, Tuesday, 10 November 1998 by Krista Foss, Health Reporter
At Dr. Robert Stubbs's office, they call it the Toronto Trim.
For the past 12 years, women have come to him from all over North America to have their
labia minora -- the flaps of skin that form the lips of a woman's genitalia and surround
the clitoris and vaginal opening -- reduced.
It's not a cosmetic alteration that ranks up there in popularity with breast augmentation,
but recently Dr. Stubbs has been performing the surgery more than ever -- as often as once
a month.
A recent issue of Cosmopolitan magazine declared that "sexual-enhancement"
surgery such as labiaplasty and vaginal tightening (which Dr. Stubbs also performs) is the
hottest trend in plastic surgery.
Dr. Stubbs, a plastic surgeon, chalks up interest in labiaplasty to a prevailing
hyperesthetic: after all the benchmarks of beauty have been obtained -- Barbie Doll
breasts, youthful face, sporty thighs -- it appears that for a certain segment of female
society, tidy genitals are worth the $1,500 to $2,500 price tag. If the labia are
oversized, asymetrical, too loose or triangular, they don't measure up to the ideal and
are a candidate for cutting.
But esthetic motives are only half the story, according to Jane (not her real name), who
called from somewhere in the United States and wouldn't say where.
The 37-year-old athletic professional said she recently flew to Toronto and had the
operation for reasons that were 50% esthetic and 50% physical.
Oversized labia are uncomfortable, Jane said. "I experienced physical discomfort
during sex. And I would feel pinching while riding a bike or a horse."
Indeed, Dr. Stubbs said clients for this procedure usually fall into one of two groups:
the 25- to 35-year-old trophy wives of sports figures for whom the sexual and
physiological ideal is the price of entry into that world, and women of all ages who have
abnormally large labia that may be interfering with their sexual confidence and
performance.
Dr. Stubbs said some women's labia are so large that they get caught in the process of
penetration, causing pain during sex. In other cases, the labia completely cover the
clitoris in a hood of skin. "Some women report to me they have had an orgasm for the
first time after I have unhooded the clitoris. When they complained about their sex lives
to other doctors, they are often told just to try a new position," he said.
Did sexy looks or the quest for better sexual function spawn the Toronto Trim? In a
culture where everything, including the genitals, are affected by the exacting scrutiny of
the look-see 1990s, it cannot help be both.
"It's another exploitation of body image," said Toronto-based sex therapist Joan
Marsman. "But there are people who will want this surgery so strongly, it's hard to
say it isn't right for them."
Though anonymous, Jane is neither squeamish nor apologetic. "I'm not a person that's
insecure," she said. "But if something can be done, and you have the money,
what's the big deal?"
Labiaplasty is a common request
Many women have redundant (long) labia and would like to have them shortened. I know that a surgeon in Canada performs labioplasty. Go to http://www.pulsus.com and click on the Canadian Journal Of Plastic Surgery. Do a search there for labiplasty. I believe the doctor's name is Robert Stubbs. You may also want to go to http:// www.altermd.com
George (Canada)
I know a lady in the UK who is very keen to find out more about labiaplasty. She has longish labia minora and desires to have them trimmed back, possibly with clitoral hood removal. Her desire for this procedure is not unlike my own interest in getting my penis circumcised and I feel there is a something of a shared interest. Her interest is purely aesthetic and functional, as is mine.
Tony
Photos of my girlfriend Lisa, before and after her circumcision are attached. She previously had her clitty hood circumcised, and now her lips. I think she looks much better, don't you?
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My wife Sandra is pictured below. Before we were married she insisted I be circumcised. Several year's later, I said "what's good for the goose" and now she too enjoys the benefits. Both her lips and clitoris hood were trimmed.
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The above are examples of female circumcision combined with
labia shortening performed by
Please feel free to join the new group, profemcirc. It is a group intended to facilitate discussion about the benefits of female circumcision, as well as provide support for those who have been circumcised or are planning to be. I hope it can be a repository of information about fem circ. Please note that CIRCLIST is not designed for descussion of female circumcision, so this group is an excellent place for those who wish to discuss that topic.
The group is located at:
http://groups.
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