PlizME
Sources
The references behind the plates
The figures and guidelines cited in the plates rely on these publications. References are given in their original language and the links lead to external sites.
The body map
- O'Connell H. E., Sanjeevan K. V., Hutson J. M., “Anatomy of the clitoris”, The Journal of Urology, 2005, vol. 174, pp. 1189-1195.
- Gray H., Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th American ed., 1918 (public domain): reference plates for our diagrams.
- Puppo V., Anatomy of the clitoris: revision and clarifications about the anatomical terms for the clitoris proposed (without scientific bases) by Federative International Committee on Anatomical Terminology, Clinical Anatomy, 2013, vol. 26, pp. 134-152.
- Komisaruk B. R. et al., Women's clitoris, vagina, and cervix mapped on the sensory cortex: fMRI evidence, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2011, vol. 8, pp. 2822-2830.
- Barnhart K. T. et al., Baseline dimensions of the human vagina, Human Reproduction, 2006, vol. 21, pp. 1618-1622.
- Kreklau A. et al., Measurements of a ‘normal vulva’ in women aged 15–84: a cross-sectional prospective single-centre study, BJOG, 2018, vol. 125, pp. 1656-1661.
Solo exploration
Practical guidance (emergency services, testing, vaccination, the law) varies from one country to another: find out about the services in your country.
- Planned Parenthood, Is Masturbation Healthy? (accessed 2026) — plannedparenthood.org
- Mayo Clinic, Anorgasmia in women: diagnosis and treatment, updated 2024 — mayoclinic.org
- Cleveland Clinic, Clitoris: Anatomy, Function and Conditions, reviewed 2026 — my.clevelandclinic.org
- NHS, Vaginal discharge (accessed 2026) — nhs.uk
- Planned Parenthood, Sex Toys (accessed 2026) — plannedparenthood.org
- Correia, Rabicki, Sexual lubricants: Practice tips, British Columbia Medical Journal, 2024 — bcmj.org
- Marchand, Psychological and Behavioral Treatment of Female Orgasmic Disorder, Sexual Medicine Reviews, 2021 — doi.org
- Dove, Wiederman, Cognitive distraction and women's sexual functioning, Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 2000 — doi.org
- Brotto, Chivers, Millman, Albert, Mindfulness-Based Sex Therapy Improves Genital-Subjective Arousal Concordance, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2016 — doi.org
- Lloyd, Crouch, Minto, Liao, Creighton, Female genital appearance: “normality” unfolds, BJOG, 2005 — doi.org
Lubrication
Practical guidance (emergency services, testing, vaccination, the law) varies from one country to another: find out about the services in your country.
- NHS, Vaginal dryness and Vaginal discharge, accessed 2026 — nhs.uk
- Office on Women's Health (US government), Douching fact sheet, 2015 — womenshealth.gov
- WHO, UNFPA, FHI360, Use and procurement of additional lubricants for male and female condoms, 2012 — PDF copy
- Correia and Rabicki, Sexual lubricants: practice tips, British Columbia Medical Journal, 2024 — bcmj.org
- Cleveland Clinic, Vaginal dryness and Vaginal gas, 2026 — clevelandclinic.org
- Herbenick et al., lubricants, pleasure and genital symptoms, Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2011 — pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Chivers et al., subjective arousal and genital response, meta-analysis, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2010 — pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Levin and van Berlo, arousal during non-consensual stimulation, Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine, 2004 — pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Kaiser R.T., fatal air embolism in a pregnant woman after oral-genital sex, Academic Emergency Medicine, 1994 — pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Salama S. et al., Nature and origin of “squirting” in female sexuality, Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2015 — pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
When orgasm takes time
Practical resources (emergency services, screening, vaccination, the law) vary from country to country: check with the services in your own country.
- Frederick D. A. et al., Archives of Sexual Behavior, Differences in Orgasm Frequency Among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Men and Women in a U.S. National Sample, 2018: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Mitchell K. R. et al., The Lancet, Sexual function in Britain: findings from Natsal-3, 2013: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Marchand E., Sexual Medicine Reviews, Psychological and Behavioral Treatment of Female Orgasmic Disorder, 2021: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- MSD Manual (Merck), Orgasmic Disorder in Women, updated 2026: Merck Manual
- NHS, Side effects of SSRI antidepressants: nhs.uk
- NHS, Menopause: symptoms: nhs.uk
- MSD Manual (Merck), Sexual Dysfunction During Pregnancy and Postpartum, 2024: Merck Manual
- Sexual Medicine Society of North America, What Is Sensate Focus and How Does It Work?: smsna.org
- Herbenick D. et al., Journal of Sexual Medicine, Prevalence and characteristics of vibrator use by women in the United States, 2009: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Painful sex
Practical resources (emergency services, screening, vaccination, the law) vary from country to country: check with the services in your own country.
- ISSM (International Society for Sexual Medicine), What is a lubricant?, public information sheet — issm.info
- Mitchell K. R. et al., Painful sex (dyspareunia) in women: prevalence and associated factors in a British population probability survey (Natsal-3), BJOG, 2017 — doi.org
- McDonald E. A. et al., Dyspareunia and childbirth: a prospective cohort study, BJOG, 2015 — doi.org
- Bohm-Starke N. et al., Treatment of Provoked Vulvodynia: A Systematic Review, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2022 — pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- WHO, Endometriosis, fact sheet, 2025 — who.int
- NHS, Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), 2025 — nhs.uk
- NHS, Vaginismus, 2024 — nhs.uk
- NHS, Vulvodynia (vulval pain), 2024 — nhs.uk
- NHS, Vaginal dryness, 2025 — nhs.uk
- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Tackling pain and difficulty with penetrative sex, 2025 — gmmh.nhs.uk
Condoms and STI testing
Practical guidance (emergency services, testing, vaccination, the law) varies from one country to another: find out about the services in your country.
- World Health Organization, Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), fact sheet, 2025 — who.int)
- World Health Organization, HIV and AIDS, fact sheet, 2026 — who.int
- CDC, Preventing HIV with PEP, 2024 — cdc.gov
- World Health Organization, Emergency contraception, fact sheet, 2021 — who.int
- World Health Organization, Human papillomavirus and cancer, fact sheet, 2024 — who.int
- CDC, About STI Risk and Oral Sex, 2024 — cdc.gov
- CDC, How to Use a Dental Dam, 2024 — cdc.gov
- CDC, Male (External) Condom Use, 2024 — cdc.gov
- NHS, Internal condoms, 2024 — nhs.uk
- Planned Parenthood, Safer sex, accessed 2026 — plannedparenthood.org
Saying yes, saying stop
Practical guidance (emergency services, testing, vaccination, the law) varies from one country to another: find out about the services in your country.
- Planned Parenthood, Sexual Consent (accessed 2026) — plannedparenthood.org
- Planned Parenthood, How do I talk about consent? (accessed 2026) — plannedparenthood.org
- World Health Organization, Sexual health (working definition) — who.int
- World Health Organization, Guidelines for HIV post-exposure prophylaxis, 2024 — who.int
- Muehlenhard, Humphreys, Jozkowski, Peterson, The Complexities of Sexual Consent Among College Students, Journal of Sex Research, 2016 — doi.org
- Möller, Söndergaard, Helström, Tonic immobility during sexual assault, Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 2017 — doi.org
- Willis, Jozkowski, Sexual Precedent's Effect on Sexual Consent Communication, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2019 — doi.org
- Scarleteen, Yes, No, Maybe So: A Sexual Inventory Stocklist, 2010, updated 2025 — scarleteen.com
Kissing the vulva
Practical resources (emergency services, screening, vaccination, the law) vary from country to country: check with the services in your own country.
- Herbenick D. et al., Women's Experiences With Genital Touching, Sexual Pleasure, and Orgasm, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 2018: doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2017.1346530
- Frederick D. A. et al., Differences in Orgasm Frequency Among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Men and Women in a U.S. National Sample, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2018: doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-0939-z
- Uloko M. et al., How many nerve fibers innervate the human glans clitoris, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2023: doi.org/10.1093/jsxmed/qdac027
- Mallory A. B. et al., Couples' Sexual Communication and Dimensions of Sexual Function: A Meta-Analysis, The Journal of Sex Research, 2019: doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1568375
- Herbenick D. and Reece M., Development and Validation of the Female Genital Self-Image Scale, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2010: doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2010.01728.x
- CDC, About STI Risk and Oral Sex, 2024: cdc.gov
- NHS, Cold sores, 2024: nhs.uk
- Brook, Dental dams, 2024: brook.org.uk
- Kaiser R. T., Air embolism death of a pregnant woman secondary to orogenital sex, Academic Emergency Medicine, 1994: doi.org/10.1111/j.1553-2712.1994.tb02552.x
The entrance
The share of women who stroke the entrance of the vagina to increase their pleasure (about 84%) comes from a published survey of a representative sample of 3,017 American women.
- Hensel D. J., von Hippel C. D., Lapage C. C., Perkins R. H. (2021). Women's techniques for making vaginal penetration more pleasurable: results from a nationally representative study of adult women in the United States. PLOS ONE, 16(4), e0249242. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0249242
Angles
Two figures cited here come from published surveys: the share of women who adjust their pelvis during penetration (88%) and the share of women for whom penetration alone is enough for orgasm (18%).
- Hensel D. J., von Hippel C. D., Lapage C. C., Perkins R. H. (2021). Women's techniques for making vaginal penetration more pleasurable: results from a nationally representative study of adult women in the United States. PLOS ONE, 16(4), e0249242. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0249242
- Herbenick D., Fu T.-C., Arter J., Sanders S. A., Dodge B. (2018). Women's experiences with genital touching, sexual pleasure, and orgasm: results from a U.S. probability sample of women ages 18 to 94. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 44(2), 201-212. doi:10.1080/0092623X.2017.1346530
Rocking
The share of women who practice still penetration (76%) comes from a published survey of a representative sample of 3,017 American women.
- Hensel D. J., von Hippel C. D., Lapage C. C., Perkins R. H. (2021). Women's techniques for making vaginal penetration more pleasurable: results from a nationally representative study of adult women in the United States. PLOS ONE, 16(4), e0249242. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0249242
The clitoris too
The figures on penetration alone (18.4%), on the need for clitoral stroking (36.6%) and on orgasm made better by that stroking (36%) come from a published survey of a representative sample of 1,055 American women.
- Herbenick D., Fu T.-C., Arter J., Sanders S. A., Dodge B. (2018). Women's experiences with genital touching, sexual pleasure, and orgasm: results from a U.S. probability sample of women ages 18 to 94. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 44(2), 201-212. doi:10.1080/0092623X.2017.1346530
Toy safety
Practical resources (emergency services, screening, vaccination, the law) vary from country to country: check with the services in your own country.
- NHS, Chlamydia, page consulted in 2026: nhs.uk
- NHS, Condoms, page consulted in 2026: nhs.uk
- European Commission, Regulation (EU) 2018/2005 on four phthalates (Annex XVII of REACH), 2018: eur-lex.europa.eu
- Planned Parenthood, Why can't you use baby oil with a condom?, 2024: plannedparenthood.org
- Test-Achats and Stiftung Warentest, Is your sex toy safe?, 2026 (2025 test): test-achats.be
- Anderson et al., A study of human papillomavirus on vaginally inserted sex toys, before and after cleaning, Sexually Transmitted Infections, 2014: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- International Society for Sexual Medicine, on numbness linked to vibrators (Herbenick et al. study, Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2009): issm.info
- Loria et al., Epidemiology and healthcare utilization for rectal foreign bodies in United States adults, 2012-2021, American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2023: sciencedirect.com
- Société nationale française de colo-proctologie, Intrarectal foreign bodies, 2020, reviewed in 2025: snfcp.org
- Sexual Medicine Society of North America, How can one use sex toys safely?: smsna.org