Is your clit not as sensitive as before?
Most people are aware of vaginal atrophy (also called vaginismus), it’s the thinning and inflammation of vaginal walls due to low estrogen. However, you may not be aware of clitoral atrophy, a condition that affects your clitoris rather than the vaginal walls.
Since the clitoris is crucial to female orgasm, clitoral atrophy can affect your sexual appetite, even making it impossible to experience an orgasm! But don’t worry just yet because treating clit atrophy could be actually quite simple, and pleasurable — whip out your sex toy!
No kidding, having sex or using a body-safe sex toy, especially a clitoral suction toy, can treat clit atrophy. This article aims to give you all the information you need on clitoral atrophy, why it occurs, how it differs from vaginal atrophy, and how you can treat it using a clit suction sex toy.
What is Clit Atrophy?
The clitoris is a sponge-like tissue that goes deep into the vaginal structure, with the clitoral tip visible in front of the vagina. When you’re aroused, blood rushes into the clitoris, making it extremely sensitive to touch.
Clitoral atrophy is a condition in which your clitoris stops responding to sexual arousal or stimulus - losing its clitoral sensitivity - so you can’t enjoy sexual activity anymore. In some cases, the clitoral tip may also disappear because of hormones or insufficient blood flow into the clitoris. Your clitoris might also appear pale due to this lack of blood flow.
Most people aren’t aware of clitoral atrophy because its symptoms only become evident while having sex. When you’re aroused, you may not feel the clitoris anymore, or you may have a loss of sensation or decreased sexual drive. However, most people attribute these symptoms of a general lack of sex drive rather than a medical condition.
What Causes Clit Atrophy?
The clitoral structure relies on sufficient blood flow and testosterone for arousal and general sexual health. As such, you suffer from clitoral atrophy for the following reasons:
Infrequent Sexual Use
If you don’t stimulate your clitoris regularly, it may eventually become dry, thin, and shrink into the clitoral hood. The clitoris must receive adequate blood circulation, which usually occurs during sexual activity or arousal. As such, if you stop having sex, the clitoris doesn’t get enough blood flow, leading to its disappearance. Read more about what happens to your clitoris when you stop having sex here.
Low Testosterone
Your testosterone levels are responsible for your libido, and they also ensure proper clitoral arousal. If your body lacks testosterone, your clitoris may eventually dry and shrink, leading to clitoral atrophy. As such, you may experience clitoral atrophy around menopause, or if you take birth control pills and estrogen supplements, leading to a drop in testosterone levels.
Who’s More Likely To Have Clitoral Atrophy?
The following situations put you at a higher likelihood of suffering from clitoral atrophy.
Infrequent Sex & Masturbation
Regular sexual activity and clitoral stimulation are necessary to maintain a healthy clitoris. As such, you may suffer from clit atrophy if you don’t have sex or masturbate frequently.
Menopause
Most women experience menopause between the ages of 45 and 55. Menopause is accompanied by a sudden fall in testosterone levels, increasing the loss of sensation and the chance of female sexual dysfunction, such as clitoral atrophy.
Most women experience menopause between the ages of 45 and 55. Menopause is accompanied by a sudden fall in testosterone levels, increasing the loss of sensation and the chance of clitoral atrophy.
Birth Control
Your testosterone levels may fall when you start taking birth control pills, temporarily leading to clitoral atrophy.
Estrogen Supplements
According to a research paper from 2008, your body may reduce the testosterone levels if you start taking estrogen supplements, leading to clitoral atrophy.
Hysterectomy
Your ovaries produce both estrogen and testosterone. As such, removing the ovaries leads to a sudden fall in your body’s testosterone levels, potentially leading to clit atrophy.
How is Clit Atrophy Different From Vaginal Atrophy?
Vaginal atrophy is far more common than clitoral atrophy. While clitoral atrophy occurs because of lower testosterone levels, vaginal atrophy occurs because of lower estrogen levels, leading to dry, thin, and inflamed vaginal walls.
Vaginal atrophy is also more uncomfortable and painful. Clitoral atrophy mostly leads to loss of sexual sensations, but vaginal atrophy leads to burning sensations, itching, burning urination, incontinence, light bleeding, dryness, and increased risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Can Clitoral Atrophy be Reversed?
Can Sex Toys Help With Vaginal Atrophy and Clitoral Atrophy?
Vaginal atrophy leads to extreme vaginal dryness, leading to pain during sexual intercourse. However, sex toys have been shown to help with some of the symptoms of vaginal atrophy. Lubricants are particularly suitable for women with vaginal atrophy because they can help regulate vaginal pH levels, relieving some of the pain associated with vaginal atrophy.
Sex toys are particularly suited to help with clitoral atrophy as well. As mentioned previously, women experience clitoral atrophy due to insufficient clitoral stimulation. If you don’t have sex or masturbate frequently, your clitoris may dry and shrink due to insufficient blood circulation. As such, a healthy sexual activity — even if we’re talking self-love — can help avoid clitoral atrophy.
Clit Suckers — The Best Treatment For Clitoral Atrophy
If you already have clitoral atrophy, penetrative sex and traditional vibrators may not be enough. As mentioned previously, the clitoral structure has roots that go several inches into the vagina, though we can only see a little stub in front of the vagina.
Penetrative sex and traditional vibrators stimulate that little clitoral tip visible in front of the vagina, leaving the rest of the clitoral structure untouched. However, since clitoral atrophy makes the clitoral tip withdraw into the clitoral hood, you can’t reach it with traditional vibrators.
As such, clit suckers send deep and resonant vibrations through your entire clitoral structure even if the clitoral tip is hidden from plain view.
That’s why clitoral suction sex toys are ideally-placed to treat clit atrophy. Clit suction toys don’t need to touch your clitoris for stimulation — they use air pressure to create a suction force and deliver deep sonic pulses that indirectly stimulate the clitoris. As such, clit suckers send deep and resonant vibrations through your entire clitoral structure even if the clitoral tip is hidden from plain view.
Clitoral suction sex toys ensure you get a full-bodied orgasm, even if you have clit atrophy. Consistent masturbation with clit suction toys can also treat clitoral atrophy, making the clitoral tip reappear.
If you've never used a sex toy before, we'd advise you to read our blog explaining what vibrators feel like. Or you could discover our definitive Clit Sucker Guide to learn about all there is to know on that subject.
What’s The Best Clit Sucker For Clitoral Atrophy?
When looking for clit suction sex toys, you must find the safest and most effective vibrator available. Biird’s Namii is currently the best suction sex toy for clit atrophy because it’s made of body-safe silicone that’s gentle on your vaginal walls. It’s a two-in-one sex toy that includes settings for different air pressures and traditional vibrations, allowing you to play with direct and indirect clitoral stimulation.
Before using the clitoral sucker, you should get in the right mood. As mentioned previously, the clitoris needs sufficient blood flow to remain healthy, and the best way to encourage blood flow into the clitoris is to achieve sexual arousal. That’s why you should take the time to play good music, maybe run a bath, and do whatever you must to ensure you’re mentally and physically ready. Why not take the time to discover all your erogenous zones?
Once you’re aroused, apply some water-based lubrication on the Namii clitoral sucker. Gently target your sweet spot with its nozzle, activate the suction at the lowest setting, and let the sonic pulses stimulate your entire clitoral structure. As your body becomes comfortable with the toy, change the air pressure and vibrations to find the optimal settings to achieve the best and most powerful orgasms.
Listen to your body and ride the waves of pleasure, gradually restoring sensation in your clitoris.
Other Treatments for Clit Atrophy
Using a clitoral sucker is arguably the best treatment for clit atrophy. But don’t despair; you also have other options if you don’t have immediate access to a clitoral sex toy. The following are the other potential treatments for clit atrophy.
- Regular Stimulation: The purpose of using clit suckers is to stimulate the entire clitoral structure. But there are other ways to stimulate the clitoris, though none can truly compare. You can masturbate using your fingers, aiming for the clitoris. If you have a sexual partner, you can also engage them to stimulate the clitoris. The primary goal is to increase blood circulation to the clitoris, which happens through stimulation.
- Lubrication: You can increase sensation in your clitoris with lotions and lubricants. It might not work immediately, but it will gradually increase sensation and help with blood circulation. You should ideally use sexual stimulants, like lubricants, with your clitoral sex toys and sexual partners.
- Cardiovascular Exercises: The primary goal of your clitoral atrophy treatment is increasing blood circulation to the clitoris. You can achieve that with cardiovascular exercises, such as running, swimming, cycling, etc. As we’re all aware, cardio workouts increase your heart rate, which, in turn, increases blood circulation. While you can’t target the blood flow towards your clitoris, increasing the overall circulation will also help your clitoris.
- Estrogen Therapy: In some cases, clitoral atrophy occurs due to a reduction in estrogen — not due to insufficient blood circulation. If none of the aforementioned recommendations work, you can opt for estrogen therapy to treat clitoral atrophy. You can get estrogen as a topical ointment or an internal treatment. However, you must consult your doctor about this possibility and determine if you’re a suitable candidate for estrogen therapy.
When Should You See a Doctor About Your Clitoral Atrophy?
You should ideally speak to your doctor if you’re sexually active, use sex toys frequently, but still don’t achieve sexual stimulation. If that’s the case, your clit atrophy may be linked to an underlying condition. You must contact a doctor if you find sexual intercourse painful, notice signs of menopause, or believe that the atrophy may be caused by reduced estrogen levels.
To put it simply, you can handle clit atrophy caused by insufficient blood flow independently with your trusty sex toys or partners. However, clit atrophy caused by hormonal changes, menopause, or other underlying factors necessitates a doctor’s involvement.
There’s no formal or official diagnostic test for clitoral atrophy. Your doctor may ask about your symptoms and examine the vaginal tissues and clitoris. In most cases, the doctor can identify clitoral atrophy if it appears pale and shrunken. However, the doctor might order blood tests to check your hormone levels and identify potential underlying diseases responsible for your clit atrophy. Based on the results, the doctor will determine the root cause of your clit atrophy and recommend suitable treatments.
How Can You Talk to Your Partner About Clitoral Atrophy?
Clitoral atrophy often leads to painful sensations or a lack of sensation during sexual intercourse. Consequently, women experiencing clitoral atrophy often avoid sexual intercourse, which, in turn, may cause intimacy problems and adversely affect their relationships. Healthy relationships depend on frank and open communication, so you should ideally convey what does or doesn’t feel good to your partner. If you actively discuss how you’re feeling, you can collectively find ways to enjoy sex or avoid sex with mutual understanding while you pursue treatments.
You can start the discussion by telling your partner about your change in sexual experience and feeling. If you’ve already consulted a doctor or acquired a diagnosis, you can tell your partner about what you’ve found. Once you’re on the same page, you can collectively navigate the issue and talk about it openly. If you’re still interested in sex, you can discuss new positions or other forms of sexual stimulation. You can also incorporate clitoral vibrators or suction toys to indirectly stimulate your clitoris. Bringing sex toys into the relationship allows you to maintain intimacy while treating the root cause of your clitoral atrophy.
Even though clitoral stimulation and orgasms are amazing, they’re not the only ways to enjoy sex. If you can’t engage in clitoral sex, you can broaden your understanding of sex to incorporate other erogenous zones. You can engage in vaginal sex or focus on the nipples, feet, underarms, or other sensitive regions. Clitoral atrophy doesn’t have to be the end of your sexual life, even temporarily; you can always explore other options. However, whatever you decide, you should do it with openness and honest communication.
