title: The prevalence of phimosis of the clitoris in women presenting to the sexual dysfunction clinic: lack of correlation to disorders of desire, arousal and orgasm.
abstract: Physical examination of the genitalia was performed during an evaluation of women with sexual health problems. Cephalad displacement of the right and left labia minora enables full retraction of the clitoral prepuce and complete exposure of the glans clitoris, under normal circumstances. We defined clitoral examination as abnormal when the cephalad force resulted in varying degrees of incomplete foreskin retraction and limited exposure of the glans clitoris. The pathophysiology is likely to be secondary to recurrent vulvar dermal infections of blunt trauma changing prepucial elasticity. Clitoral phimosis, a previously undiagnosed physical finding, was identified in 22% of the women. Other than its link to sexual pain, the clinical significance of this finding, in particular the relation to diminished sensitivity and impaired orgasmic capability, is unclear at this time.
authors.affiliation: Center for Sexual Medicine, Department of Urology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. r_munarriz@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Munarriz
authors.forename: Lily
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Talakoub
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kuohung
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gioia
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hoag
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Flaherty
authors.forename: Kweonsik
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Min
authors.forename: Seong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Irwin
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goldstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002987:Clitoris / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006175:Gynatresia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007989:Libido; D015995:Prevalence; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000150:complications