Talk about it! Empowerment and Female Genital Mutilation_Cutting

20 Sexuality, Pleasure and Relationship Everyone is different and therefore, has their own body feeling and own way of feeling sexual desire. If you feel confident about your body, it is easier to enjoy sex. The most important sexual organ is the brain. Allowing sexual pleasure and letting sexual fantasies run free helps to get to know one‘s personal pleasure even better. Humans are sexual beings by nature which means from early childhood we can feel pleasure, not necessarily sexual based pleasure. The better one knows one’s body and what brings pleasure, the easier it is to verbalise one‘s needs. Exploring one‘s body by having a closer look, for example having a look at your vulva by using a mirror, helps with getting to know your own body better. Men are usually used to explore their bodies during their childhood, this has to do with their sexual organs being more visible as female sexual organs, plus they are more often allowed to explore their body. Sexuality and FGM_C Through circumcision the labia or parts of the clitoris can be removed or harmed but as the main part of the clitoris is inside the body it is still possible to feel pleasure after FGM_C. It is also possible to increase libido and decrease pain during sex by reconstructive surgery. There is a way to e. g. reconstruct nerves of the clitoris so that external stimulation is possible again. What Happens Inside the Body When Being Aroused? Sexual arousal leads to increased blood flow inside the vulva and clitoris which causes them to swell. This is comparable to what happens to cause an erected penis. The male glans and the clitoris function very similar. Additionally, to increased blood flow the vagina becomes wet, deeper and opens a little wider, which is important to prevent painful sex. Using lubricant gel helps if the vagina is not wet enough even if desire is present. Sexual arousal can be negatively affected by negative thoughts, fear of pain or pregnancy as well as trauma caused by consciously experienced FGM_C or violence. If you experienced such things, it is normal to not be sexually aroused easily or at all. To get help, feel free to contact any counselling centre as they provide help.