By Mandy Moore, Teens Climb High Program Assistant
**CW -This post includes drawings of genital anatomy.
Are your Valentine's Day cards ready? It's that time of year when we celebrate romance, friendships and self- love.
Here are some anatomical and comical valentines inspired by facts and images you may remember from your Sex Education class (and I bet some facts you don't). Send some valentines to everybody and remember to celebrate and validate YOUR body and EVERY kind of body. Because you are CLITerally the best!
*artwork By Mandy Moore
SHARE the LOVE:
You can click these links below for free access to these Printable Sex Ed Valentines. There are two different formats for each including a foldable greeting card or a sheet of trimmable valentines.
SHARE the KNOWLEDGE
Did the painting of the clitoris in the card surprise you? I remember being confused when I first saw a diagram of the WHOLE clitoris! While the human clitoris does not actually radiate a fuchsia crown, the rest of the painting is pretty accurate. Did you know…
WHAT IS THE CLITORIS?
The clitoris aka ‘clit’ is a sensitive wishbone shaped gland filled with thousands of nerves used to create sexual pleasure. It’s located near the top of the vulva above the the urethra and vaginal opening - right at the point where the inner labia meet and form a little hood (aka the clitoral hood).
Yes, the clit is wearing its very own clitoral hoodie that protects it. The clitoral hood very similar to the foreskin on a penis.
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE. Only 1/4 of the clit is visible outside the body.
The thing that we are usually calling the clitoris is only the small hooded part of it that sticks out above the opening of the clitoral glans. The majority of the clitoris is inside your body. Just like the rest of the vulva, every clitoris will vary in size and shape but generally what we see on the outside of the body is only the tip of the iceberg.
IT'S SUPER SENSITIVE.
The tip of the clitoris is loaded with more than 8,000 nerve endings. Thats actually double the number of those in a penis! Beyond the tip, the sensations starting in the clitoris can spread across the pelvic area, affecting about 15,000 other nerve endings.
IT’S ALWAYS GROWING.
Clitorises can swell as much as 3 times their size. On average they range from 7-12 cm in length and swell by 50 to 300% when engorged when aroused.
The clitoris actually grows throughout a person's whole life. By the end of menopause, the clitoris could have grown 2.5 times larger than it was when the same person was a teenager.
IN THE WOMB EVERYONE BEGINS WITH A CLITORIS
In utero everyone has the same genital tissue from when they are conceived until around 12 weeks when each baby's genitalia begin to differentiate into a penis or labia. The clitoris can form a penis depending on its exposure to hormones secreted by the developing gonads (ovaries or testes).
EVERY VULVA, EVERY GENITAL, EVERY BODY IS UNIQUE.
If you’ve ever looked at your genitals or body and wondered - is this supposed to look like that ? Is mine normal? Really, there is no one singular normal. Your genitals, just like your fingerprints are unique to you. They come in different shapes and colors, from pale pink to black. Don’t stress about if your looks like any one elses. It's important to learn what is normal for your healthy body rather than comparing it to the looks of other.
Wait... What about the Vas Deferens ??
I am someone with a vulva so I admit I was a bit biased in my enthusiasm about Clitorises. But hey, I love my body!
WHAT IS THE VAS DEFERENS?
They (two of them) are the tubes that run from the testes to the Urethra. Basically, the highway that the sperm travels along to exit the body during ejaculation.
THE SIZE? Each vas deferens is a tube or ductus that is approximately one foot (12 inches) in length.
HOW FAST DOES SPERM TRAVEL ALONG THE VAS DEFERENS?
Fast! These are muscular tubes so they can really move things along. According to Masters and Johnson, ejaculate can also travel up to 25 miles per hour (45kms) an hour!
Happy Learning and Happy Valentine's DAY ! Follow and share our blog for more Teen Sex Education.
*Art work created by your friendly neighborhood Sex Educator and Teens Climb High Assistant, Mandy Moore.