In Search Of The Male G-Spot

27 November 2006
In Search Of The Male G-Spot
by Paul Aitken

In my late teens I had a gay friend who would occasionally try to lure me over to the "other" side. I wasn't that way inclined but if I was feeling sporty I would sometimes engage in playful debate on the subject. I remember pointing out that the disadvantage to homosexuality was that only one partner could "get his rocks off" at any one-time, whereas heterosexual sex involved mutual stimulation and pleasure. My friend leapt from his seat with the gleeful anticipation of a tennis-pro who has just been gifted an unexpected lob. "Oh my God," he screamed, "You've got to let me fuck you. You'll have the most mind-blowing orgasm ever!"

I didn't believe him. After all, it made no sense. Why would a part of our anatomy (our butt) that was unrelated to sexual function be a part of our system of sexual response? Evolution just doesn't give out freebies like that. Or does it?

A short time after this incident I happened upon the twisted, skanky writings of William S. Burroughs. In a scene from Naked Lunch, Burroughs describes a young man who weeps because he couldn't help but orgasm when sodomized. Around the same time I read an article about scientists who extracted semen from an elephant by sticking an electrode up its ass. "Hmm," I mused, "maybe my gay friend was on to something."

As it turns out, he was on to something, and it wasn't any big secret either. The pleasurable and sometimes orgasmic effects of prostate massage through the rectal walls have been known for millennia. The citizens of Sodom were, ahem, obviously familiar with its associated pleasures as, no doubt, were the Greeks. Practitioners of ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic (ancient Indian) medicine recommended regular prostate massage and noted its ancillary benefits. During World War II, military medics provided prostate massages to soldiers to relieve what was referred to as "pelvic congestion" (why they couldn't just beat off wasn't mentioned). In animal husbandry, electro-ejaculation, whereby an electrostatic probe is inserted into the anus of a sexually mature male animal, is the method of choice for extracting semen from prize bulls. One can only imagine what the alternative might be.

The degree of pleasurable response varies from man to man. I've only experienced the sensation of having my prostate prodded once and I'll tell you brother, I got NOTHING out of it. Mind you, given that probing was performed with cold lubricant by a male doctor in a harshly lit examination room (no flowers, candy or mood music) during a conversation about cancer, I'm probably not the best person to assess its benefits. But many who have submitted to gentle prostatic manipulation attest that it can result in - take your pick - explosive/transformative/mind blowing/earth-shattering/whole body/out-of-body orgasms. For some, prostatic massage is used as an adjunct to penile stimulation. For others, prostatic massage by itself can trigger orgasm.

Why this should be is something of a mystery. The capacity for prostatic orgasms obviously serves no evolutionary advantage. It is, like masturbation, a collateral benefit of our need to reproduce. Prostatic stimulation feels so good because the prostate lies on the main nerve freeway from the penis to the terminus of the spinal chord. These nerves are ultimately connected to the pleasure centers of the brain, so it's no surprise that their stimulation is pleasurable. What is perplexing is the degree of pleasure reported. Why should prostatic orgasms be better? It's possible that the nerves, being closer to source are more concentrated in the area of the prostate, but no one really knows. If you're of a religious bent you might conclude that God was feeling ironic and gave us guys a G-spot because he wants us to enjoy a little anal stimulation once and a while.

The use of the term "male G-spot" is not just a superficial analogy. There is good reason, and a lot of evidence, to suggest that the female G-spot (named after Ernst Grafenburg who supposedly "discovered" the spot in 1944 along with collaborator Robert L Dickinson, who failed to get his initial immortalized) is homologous to the prostate gland. For the first couple of months of gestation, fetuses are sexually indistinct. Then around the 8th week, in fetuses with a Y chromosome, a hormonal cascade redirects the growth of tissue that would otherwise become female sexual organs into male organs. Would-be ovaries become testes, the clitoris becomes a penis and tissue that ultimately becomes the G-spot in women becomes the prostate gland in men. The female homologue of the prostate is referred to technically as the Skene's gland (or the lesser vestibular or periurethral glands, for you purists). The Skene's gland is thought to be the source of female ejaculation. The idea is not yet universally accepted but the evidence for it is compelling. Female ejaculate, the product of a G-spot orgasm, has been found to contain the same primary components as semen as well as prostate specific antigen (PSA), usually found in the prostate gland. The fluid is expelled from the urethra but contains only minute concentrations of creatinine and urea, two of the primary constituents of urine.

Most men, I'd hazard to guess, have never attempted to find their G-spot. For many men, any form of anal stimulation is "gay" and therefore taboo. This is silly, of course, but nevertheless, these perceptions are hard to dispel. There's also, for want of a better word, the ickiness factor. Let's face it, prostate massage involves inserting something into an area that, for most men, is the exclusive domain of... well... poo. We may play fast and loose with the nether regions of our female lovers, but many men prefer their own rear-ends to remain a no-go area. Finally, there's the discomfort of having something enter a part of the anatomy that is more an exit than an entrance. The sphincter is a strong muscle and it's a very invasive and frankly disconcerting feeling to have anything push past it in the wrong direction.

But for those adventurous souls willing to break past the physical and psychological barriers, there is apparently a veritable El Dorado of pleasure lying in wait. For those of you who'd like to try, here are a few tips. Use warm lube. Have your partner insert her/her finger to about the second knuckle and gently stroke with no more pressure than one would apply when rubbing an eyeball. If your partner wears her nails long do not attempt a prostate massage. The prostate is fragile and can easily be torn, resulting in potentially serous complications. Instead, use a device designed to stimulate the prostate.

If you're feeling clinical you can use a prostate massager that doctors employ to relieve prostate inflammation. Or, you can use specially designed vibrators and stimulators that can be found in sex shops. My favorite is called the gerbilator. It doesn't look like a gerbil but I'm guessing it does the same job. There's also the human sized version of the electostimulator used on animals. Hey, if it works for elephants, it'll work for you. Who knows, prostate play might just add a whole new dimension to your sexuality.

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