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As idiosyncratic who writes astir enactment and relationships, radical usually presume that I person the astir consistent, orgasmic enactment beingness of each time.
Tatyannah King / Via Instagram
And portion my enactment beingness has decidedly had its highs, close present it’s reached a low. Worse than low. It’s non-existent, and it’s been that mode for respective months. Normally, I don’t caput having a adust spell for a while. That's thing that comes with the territory of being single.
Tatyannah King
However, I precocious noticed a viral tweet presently circulating that astir made maine rethink my somewhat involuntary play of abstinence. It said, “Did you cognize your clitoris is 'use it oregon suffer it'? Like deadass it tin spell away?!" The tweet has 6.5 cardinal views, with implicit 4 100 radical successful the comments expressing disorder and interest astir whether the clit tin really “go away.”
Did you cognize your clitoris is usage it oregon suffer it? Like deadass it tin spell away?!
— Gemini Princesss (@MaskedHottiee) March 29, 2026@maskedhottiee / Via x.com
So, I enactment my enquiry to the trial by interviewing doctors, healthcare providers, and educators who specialize successful quality sexuality. The consensus? The clitoris doesn’t needfully disappear, but galore factors whitethorn alteration its size and sensitivity. Let's get into it.
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Suzette E. Johnson, MD, a Board-Certified OB-GYN and Menopause Certified Practitioner (MCP), explains that the clitoris doesn’t simply “go away,” but if idiosyncratic experiences prolonged debased estrogen, that whitethorn origin carnal changes successful the clitoris.
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“The clitoral glans whitethorn go smaller oregon little prominent, and the surrounding vulvar tissues, specified arsenic the labia, tin go thinner oregon little full. These are hormonally driven insubstantial changes, not the effect of intersexual inactivity,” Dr. Johnson says.
These hormonally driven changes are sometimes referred to arsenic clitoral atrophy, a information successful which clitoral insubstantial becomes thinner, little full, oregon little responsive implicit time. Clitoral atrophy is astir commonly associated with debased estrogen levels during menopause, but it tin besides hap successful different situations wherever hormone accumulation is reduced.
The clitoris is conscionable 1 portion of the puzzle, though. Johnson says that debased estrogen tin trigger changes passim the vulva, vagina, and urinary tract arsenic well.
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“Often, these changes are portion of a broader information called the Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause, which affects the vulva, vagina, and urinary tract,” she adds. “Women whitethorn announcement decreased sensitivity, dryness, oregon changes successful intersexual response. Some whitethorn besides acquisition discomfort oregon pain, which is typically related to vaginal and vulvar insubstantial changes, specified arsenic dryness and thinning, alternatively than the clitoris itself.”
Here’s wherever things get a small tricky: Desire, arousal, and sensitivity are often lumped together, but they're really antithetic parts of the intersexual experience.
According to Soum Rakshit, PhD, CEO and Co-Founder of MV.Health, tendency is your involvement successful having sex, arousal is your body's carnal effect to intersexual stimulation, and sensitivity refers to however your nerves respond to touch.
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“While desire, arousal, and carnal sensitivity are profoundly interconnected, we measure these arsenic chiseled components of the intersexual effect cycle,” Dr. Rakshit explains. Basically, a alteration successful immoderate 1 of these areas tin impact the others. For example, decreased sensitivity tin marque arousal much difficult, which whitethorn yet interaction tendency arsenic well.
So, if you're noticing changes successful your clitoral sensitivity oregon enactment beingness successful general, here’s what you tin bash moving guardant to reconnect with sensation and pleasure.
“Some strategies present tin see expanding what counts arsenic arousal (for example, not conscionable lubrication oregon orgasm, but immoderate affirmative sensation oregon adjacent deficiency of pain),” says Pavita Singh, EdD, MPH, an Adjunct Professor of Human Sexuality Education astatine Teachers College, Columbia University.
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In practice, that mightiness mean paying attraction to smaller signs of pleasance alternatively than focusing exclusively connected whether you orgasm oregon acquisition aggravated clitoral sensations. Maybe going backmost to your roots and enjoying a steamy make-out league and adust hump operation mightiness marque you consciousness much connected to your partner.
Dr. Singh besides recommends slowing down, experimenting with antithetic types of stimulation, and incorporating tools specified arsenic lubricants oregon vibrators if they heighten pleasure.
For immoderate people, that whitethorn mean investigating antithetic styles of vibrators, adjusting unit levels, oregon exploring areas of the assemblage beyond the clitoris that whitethorn consciousness pleasurable.
Luiza Nalimova / Getty Images/iStockphoto / Via Instagram: @undefined
Most importantly, she notes that factors extracurricular the chamber substance too. Stress, narration challenges, slumber quality, and wide wellness tin each power desire, arousal, and sensitivity, making it worthy considering the bigger representation if your intersexual experiences consciousness antithetic from what they erstwhile did.
“It is important to admit that a deficiency of effect doesn't needfully mean a deficiency of tendency oregon pleasure,” Dr. Singh adds. “Relationships spell done phases, and it is important to clasp those changes and invitation exploration. Pleasure doesn't disappear, but alternatively changes.”
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Of course, the information that experts tin present connection this benignant of guidance speaks to a larger displacement successful however we deliberation astir women's intersexual health.
“In my experience, discussions astir intersexual activity, arousal, and pleasance successful cisgender women person go much communal among wellness attraction professionals and patients,” says Elizabeth Abad, MD, a household medicine doctor. “Previously, these topics were seldom addressed, and it was wide accepted that cisgender women people mislaid involvement successful pleasance and arousal with age, peculiarly during and aft menopause.”
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“Healthcare providers often deficiency circumstantial grooming to code libido and intersexual practices, contempt one successful three cis women experiencing immoderate signifier of intersexual dysfunction,” Abad adds.
Today, much radical are questioning long-held assumptions astir what is and isn't a mean portion of aging. Instead of softly accepting changes successful desire, arousal, oregon sensitivity, galore are seeking answers connected their ain and uncovering a increasing fig of healthcare professionals consenting to person those conversations.
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Maybe that’s wherefore questions similar "Can my clit shrink oregon disappear?" person go truthful communal successful the archetypal place. It’s little astir fearfulness and much astir however radical are paying person attraction to their bodies and feeling empowered to inquire questions that erstwhile generations were often discouraged from asking.
So, arsenic Dr. Johnson antecedently confirmed, “This isn’t a ‘use it oregon suffer it’ situation. It is astir knowing what is changing successful the assemblage and knowing determination are ways to enactment it.”
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