A magnified cross-section of the human clitoris’ dorsal nerve, which is primarily responsible for clitoral sensation. Each tiny, dark-blue dot packed inside the larger blue circles represents an individual nerve fiber of a dorsal nerve. Oregon Health & Science University surgeon Blair Peters, M.D., collected clitoral nerve tissue samples from seven volunteer patients. Matthew D. Wood, Ph.D., and Daniel A. Hunter of Washington University School of Medicine’s Peripheral Nerve Research Laboratory magnified samples under a microscope by 1,000 times and used image analysis software to count nerve fibers. The collaborative effort led Peters and colleagues to estimate that the human clitoris has more than 10,000 nerve fibers. (OHSU)

Joshua Riverdale (left) meets with surgeon Dr. Jens Berli in May 2018, for a post-surgery follow-up. Oregon Health & Science University’s Transgender Health Program launched in 2015 to ensure patients receive respectful and quality health care, regardless of their gender identity. Caring for more than 6,000 adult and youth transgender patients, OHSU has one of the largest and most comprehensive transgender health programs in the U.S. (OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff)

Oregon Health & Science University surgeon Blair Peters, M.D., holds a vial holding a small sample of dorsal nerve tissue from a clitoris, which is off white and may look like rice floating in the vial's bottom right corner. Peters led the first known count of human clitoral nerve tissue and found the human clitoris has more than 10,000 nerve fibers. (OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)

Oregon Health & Science University surgeon Blair Peters, M.D., holds a vial holding a small sample of dorsal nerve tissue from a clitoris, which is off white and may look like rice floating in the vial's bottom right corner. Peters led the first known count of human clitoral nerve tissue and found the human clitoris has more than 10,000 nerve fibers. (OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)