A three-dimensional medical imaging representation of the neural network distributed throughout a woman’s body. AI-generated image.
In March 2026, a three-dimensional map of the clitoral nerve structure was published. The clitoris, a female reproductive organ, has long been relatively under-studied in anatomy and medicine. This study drew attention because it precisely mapped the neural distribution of the clitoris.
We spoke with Lee Juyoung, a researcher in obstetrics and gynecology at UMC in the Netherlands, who participated in the study, about the significance of the research and the current state of medical research on women’s bodies.
Women’s bodies have been studied less extensively than men’s. A search for the male reproductive organ “penile glans” on the scholarly database Google Scholar returns about 46,600 results. By contrast, a search for the corresponding female reproductive organ, the “clitoral glans,” yields about 16,600 results.
There are still many aspects of women’s bodies that have not been adequately explained by science. From the causes of menstrual pain and mid-cycle abdominal pain during ovulation to discomfort caused by menstrual products, many issues that women experience in daily life remain unresolved.
Anatomical information about the precise structure of the clitoris and how it functions is also insufficient.
Against this backdrop, Lee and an international research team created a three-dimensional map of the clitoral nerve structure. The results were posted on March 20 on the preprint server bioRxiv. (doi: 10.64898/2026.03.18.712572)
After the results were released, science communicators and media outlets around the world took keen interest. In an email interview with Dong-A Science on May 5, Lee explained, “In the case of the penile glans, a nerve map was already produced in the urology field in 1998.” We looked at what it means that a clitoral nerve map was produced so much later than its penile counterpart.
Clitoral nerve cell map published in March by the UMC medical school research team in the Netherlands. A and B show the clitoris from different angles. C, D and E are cross-sections of the clitoris. The clitoral dorsal nerve (yellow) and the clitoral corpus cavernosum (green) can be seen. The corpus cavernosum is tissue around the urethra that becomes engorged and firm as blood vessels dilate in response to sexual stimulation. Image courtesy of Lee Juyoung.
● A nerve map as a major step forward for women’s health
The clitoris is part of the female genitalia and a sensory organ that provides sexual pleasure. The clitoris has relatively little externally visible tissue, and social and cultural taboos have long limited research and discussion.
This is reflected even in its name. The Chinese character “陰 (eum),” used in the Korean term for clitoris (음핵), means a shaded area where light is blocked. One proposed etymology of the English term “clitoris” derives it from the Greek word “kleiein,” meaning “to close” or “to shut.”
Anatomically, most of the clitoris is located inside the body. Only a very small portion is visible externally, but if the internal structures are included, its overall size is nearly the same as the male organ with a comparable function, the penis. The two organs also share a common developmental origin.
At around four weeks of gestation, a rounded protrusion known as the genital tubercle forms below the abdomen of the fetus. As the genital tubercle grows, it becomes the primordial phallus, which develops into the clitoris in female bodies and the penis in male bodies.
Culturally as well, the clitoris is an organ that has rarely been brought into the spotlight. The research team noted in their paper that “In the 16th century, one anatomist called the clitoris the organ of shame, and in the anatomy textbook Gray’s Anatomy, the clitoris was long described as a small penis.”
In this study, the researchers precisely characterized the distribution of nerve cells around the clitoris. To do so, they first traced the full course of the clitoral dorsal nerve (DNC), which runs along the back of the clitoris.
Until now, the main sensory nerve of the clitoris—the dorsal nerve of the clitoris—was believed to originate inside the pelvis and taper as it approached the clitoral glans. However, the actual nerve map revealed a different configuration.
The dorsal nerve of the clitoris branches like a tree trunk from the clitoral glans and wraps around the clitoris. Within the clitoral glans, the researchers identified five major nerve trunks, each with a diameter of 0.2–0.7 mm. These structures are difficult to detect using conventional methods that rely on direct dissection of the clitoris.
They also confirmed that the dorsal nerve of the clitoris extends to the mons pubis, the fatty tissue covering the pubic bone at the front of the pelvis. Some nerve branches reached areas approximately 10 cm away from the clitoris. The team further found that the posterior labial nerve, a branch of the pudendal nerve, connects not only to the labia but also to structures around the clitoris. In other words, more nerve trunks are distributed over a wider area than previously known.
From left: an image of an endometrial organoid created at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) in Basel, Switzerland. Cell membranes are shown in purple and nuclei as blue dots. Using this organoid, the team replicated processes that occur in the actual uterus, such as menstruation. Right: a cross-sectional image of an endometrial organoid captured by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) research team in the United States. Red indicates stromal cells that support the organ, and green indicates epithelial cells. Images courtesy of Turco lab/FMI, Heather George, and Alex Bosak.
This clitoral nerve structure map has potential applications in clinical practice. “In particular, it can help reduce nerve damage during surgery around the vulva,” the researchers wrote.
If nerves are damaged during surgery, patients may develop reduced sensation or chronic pain. Until now, however, it has been difficult to pinpoint the exact locations of nerve cells around the female genitalia. A clitoral nerve cell map can depict the neural distribution of female reproductive organs more accurately, helping surgeons distinguish areas that should be preserved.
It can also serve as a reference for gender-affirming surgeries for transgender patients and for reconstructive surgery in survivors of female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice in which parts of the external female genitalia are cut or damaged without medical necessity.
According to a report published by UNICEF in 2024, more than 230 million women worldwide have undergone FGM, often for religious or cultural reasons. This figure includes children. Many experience lifelong side effects such as chronic pain, menstrual disorders and inflammation. The three-dimensional clitoral nerve structure map is expected to aid reconstructive surgeries to treat such damage, as well as broader gynecological care.
In Somalia, about 99% of women aged 15 to 49 have undergone female genital mutilation, making it one of the countries with the highest FGM prevalence in the world. Research on clitoral nerve maps can greatly enhance medical support for survivors of FGM. Getty Images Bank.
● A 26-year delay, and a push to catch up
Lee cites two main reasons why clitoral research lagged behind research on the penis.
The first is technical difficulty. The clitoral glans is three to eight times smaller than the penile glans, the corresponding male structure. This made it difficult to apply the same methods used to produce penile nerve maps directly to the clitoris.
The research team used the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France, to obtain high-resolution X-ray images of the pelvis of two postmenopausal female donors. A synchrotron is a device that accelerates particles to near the speed of light to generate powerful X-rays. This allowed the team to obtain much clearer images than those produced by conventional medical X-ray systems.
The second reason is social. “For a long time, low societal interest in female sexuality—which has often been treated as taboo—has been an obstacle to conducting research,” Lee explained.
Recently, however, studies on women’s bodies have been coming out in rapid succession. On April 28, a study on endometrial organoids was published in the international journal Cell Stem Cell.
Led by the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) in Basel, Switzerland, this work replicated phenomena that occur during actual menstruation, advancing our understanding of the menstrual cycle. Research is expanding into areas of women’s bodies that had not previously been well understood. (doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2026.04.005)
Lee said that behind these changes lies the effort of women scientists.
“Women scientists are acutely aware that scientific explanations of women’s bodies are lacking, and they are taking the initiative to lead this research themselves. For example, Professor Linda Griffith at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States suffered from endometriosis for many years, and when she saw her niece struggling with the same disease, she decided to fully commit to research in this field.”
Funding for research in women’s medicine remains scarce. “Securing research funding has been the hardest part,” Lee said. “Although women’s health is receiving more attention, that interest has not yet translated into sufficient research budgets.”
A 2024 report by the World Economic Forum projected that investment in women’s health could generate economic benefits of 1 trillion dollars (about 1,513.5 trillion Korean won) per year globally by 2040.
Public interest in related research is growing. Since the clitoral nerve map study was published, media outlets not only in European countries like the United Kingdom and Germany but also in South American countries such as Brazil and Chile have covered the three-dimensional clitoral nerve structure. When Dong-A Science conducted its written interview about a month and a half after the study’s release, Lee said she was still receiving “many interview requests.”
Lee plans to continue research on clitoral nerves. “If the opportunity arises, I would like to collaborate not only with obstetricians and gynecologists but also with urologists and colorectal surgeons to study the entire neural network of the female pelvis.”
Lee also emphasized the need to expand research on diverse bodies, including women’s bodies.
“In the future, it will become increasingly important to recognize and understand different kinds of bodies. I hope that bodily ‘difference’ is not used to rank people, but instead leads to system-level changes that better accommodate diverse bodies.”
※Related Article
Dong-A Science, August issue, The least studied organ in the human body: a clitoral nerve map 26 years late
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