Female Genital Piercings, Everything You Need to Know | Painful Pleasures Community
 

Female Genital Piercings, Everything You Need to Know

Female genital piercings, including the famous "clit piercing," come in all varieties. Check out all vaginal piercing options in this blog.
by PainfulPleasures Last Updated: May 9, 2024

If you’re in the market for a vaginal or clit piercing, we’ve got the 411. This blog gives you the lowdown on the labia piercing, clit piercing, and every type you can get… including some lesser-known vagina piercings.

CLITORAL HOOD PIERCINGS (AKA CLIT PIERCINGS)

Vagina silicone body bit for piercing

When it comes to piercings for the clitoral hood, there are two popular options and two less common. Clitoral hood piercings are commonly referred to as clit piercings. While this is a common term, it’s worth knowing that a piercer typically won’t piercer your clitoris intentionally. It’s too sensitive and easily damaged. Consequently, “clit piercings” are actually piercings that pass through the clitoral hood (and often stimulate the clitoris when you put jewelry in).

VCH Piercings

VCH piercings are one of the most popular vaginal piercings. VCH stands for for “vertical clitoral hood” piercings. Consequently, the piercing goes (you guessed it) vertically through the clitoral hood. Typically, you’ll wear a bent or circular barbell in a VCH piercing. The jewelry sits right above your clitoris, often providing stimulation. As for healing time, you can expect a VCH piercing to heal up in 4–8 weeks.

But note: not all people with female genitals can get a VCH piercing. You have to be able to pass a Q-tip test, which will tell your piercer if your clitoris is deep enough to accommodate a receiving tube. Your piercer will need a receiving tube to catch the piercing needle and protect your clitoris during the procedure.

PROS of VCH Piercings:

  • Often provides sexual stimulation
  • Heals relatively quickly for a clit piercing (4–8 weeks)

CONS of VCH Piercings:

  • You have to pass a Q-tip test to get this piercing

HCH Piercings

Just as with VCH piercings, the name “horizontal clitoral hood piercing” tells you how this clit piercing is placed: horizontally through the clitoral hood, over top of the clitoris. People typically wear captive bead rings or other types of hoops, like segment rings or seamless rings, in HCH piercings. This clit piercing tends to be more aesthetically pleasing than sexually stimulating. However, HCH piercing jewelry can send occasional pleasurable sensations through your clitoris, too. If you want a clitoral hood piercing and you don’t qualify for a VCH piercing, then a horizontal clitoral hood piercing is the best way to go. There’s a chance you might still be a candidate for a triangle piercing (details on this piercing below). Be sure to explore all options with your professional piercer.

PROS of HCH Piercings:

  • Can be sexually stimulating (albeit often not as stimulating as a VCH piercing)
  • Heals relatively quickly but takes longer to heal than a VCH piercing (about 8–12 weeks)

CONS of HCH Piercings:

  • More aesthetically pleasing than sexually stimulating, so not a great choice for someone seeking an exclusively stimulating clit piercing

Triangle Piercings

Close-up of a captive bead ring with a white background

A triangle piercing is a clit piercing that goes through your clitoral hood horizontally at its base and passes underneath the clitoris. Consequently, the jewelry (typically a horseshoe/circular barbell) stimulates your clitoris from the underside instead of the top as HCH and VCH piercing jewelry would. But here’s the deal: your piercer needs enough clitoral hood and tissue to do the job right. They’ll pinch the base of your hood, lift your clitoris, and keep it away from your body while doing the piercing. So if you don’t have enough tissue there, your piercer can’t perform the procedure safely. Consequently, not everyone’s a candidate for the triangle piercing. Don’t worry, though! Just chat with your piercer to see if it’s an option for you.

Now, if you end up getting a triangle piercing, brace yourself for some downtime. You’ll need about 2 to 3 months to heal up properly. During that time, hands off! No sex, no messing with your jewelry, nada.

PROS of Triangle Piercings:

  • Very sexually stimulating

CONS of Triangle Piercings:

  • Not everyone is a candidate for this clit piercing (you’ll need enough clitoral hood and tissue to have this piercing done safely)

Princess Diana Piercings

The Princess Diana Piercing is usually two piercings to the left and right of your clitoris. The piercings pass vertically through your clitoral hood. You have to be able to pass at least a regular Q-tip test to get a single Princess Diana piercing. But, as we said, these piercings are usually (and optimally) done in pairs, which means passing a double Q-tip test. The width and depth of your clitoral hood are important if you want a pair of Princess Diana piercings.

The main reason people go for Princess Diana Piercings? Well, these clit piercings are incredibly sexually stimulating, especially when done in pairs. This is largely because of the way they’re placed, essentially hugging either side of your clitoris. If you were to get one of these piercings, your piercer would go through the top left or top right side of your clitoral hood. Then, your piercer would bring the needle out through the same side of the bottom of the clitoral hood. When it was done, your piercer would place a bent barbell in your piercing. The bent barbell would lay against the side of your clit instead of over top it, like a VCH piercing.

If you’re particularly well-endowed in the clitoral hood region, then you may be able to get a pair of Princess Diana piercings and a VCH piercing for optimal sexual stimulation. The jewelry would hug your clitoris from all three sides. If you’ve got the right anatomy for this trifecta, go for it and enjoy!

PROS of Princess Diana Piercings:

  • Extremely sexually stimulating
  • If you have the right anatomy, this piercing can be combined with a VCH piercing for additional stimulation

CONS of Princess Diana Piercings:

  • You have to pass a Q-tip test to get this piercing

Christina Piercings

Close-up of a captive bead ring and a jeweled barbell for clit piercings

A Christina piercing is a surface piercing placed vertically through the pubic mound. Consequently, the decorative bottom ball of a Christina barbell sits just above the peak of your clitoral hood. This is a purely aesthetic piercing and provides no sexual stimulation. It’s a surface piercing, which means it’s more prone to migration and rejection than other female genital piercings. So it takes a long time to heal (up to 4 months or more).

PROS of Christina Piercings:

  • Aesthetically pleasing and can enhance the look of a vaginal or clit piercing

CONS of Christina Piercings:

  • This piercing takes up to 4 months to heal
  • More aesthetically pleasing than sexually stimulating, so not a great choice for someone seeking an exclusively stimulating clit piercing
  • As a surface piercing, this is prone to migration and rejection, so you’ll have to practice diligent aftercare

Labia Piercings

Most people with female genitals can have at least a single fine-gauge ring or two placed through their inner labia. But the outer labia, being more substantial, can accommodate much more jewelry. You could have a single captive ring placed on one side of your outer labia, one on each side, or rows of rings or circular barbells placed down either outer labium. You can also stretch your outer labia piercings so they can accommodate large-gauge plugs and tunnels (as long as you practice safe, healthy stretching methods).

Labia piercings are primarily aesthetic piercings rather than sexually-stimulating ones. However, they can be arousing in a psychological way, especially for your partner. Since the outer labia tissue tends to be so thick, these piercings usually take a bit longer to heal than other female genital piercings. You’ll need about 2–3 months after the initial piercing, and one-and-a-half times as long in between stretches. On the other hand, inner labia piercings usually heal within just 4–6 weeks.

PROS of Labia Piercings:

  • You have the freedom to stretch outer labia piercings
  • Inner labia piercings heal up quickly (within 4–6 weeks)

CONS of Labia Piercings:

  • More aesthetically pleasing than sexually stimulating, so not a great choice for someone seeking an exclusively stimulating clit piercing
  • Outer labia piercings can take up to 3 months to heal

Fourchette Piercings

This is the least common vaginal piercing option. The fourchette piercing (cool name, right?) goes through a flap of skin at the bottom of your vulva. Very few people with female genitals have this flap. Talk to your piercer about this option if you’ve got the right anatomy. The fourchette piercing is more aesthetic than sexually pleasing, but it can be arousing in a psychological way. If you get a fourchette piercing, expect a 2 to 3 month healing period.

PROS of Fourchette Piercings:

  • Being the least common vaginal piercing, this gives you a unique flair/edge

CONS of Fourchette Piercings:

  • More aesthetically pleasing than sexually stimulating, so not a great choice for someone seeking an exclusively stimulating clit piercing
  • Only available to people who have a certain anatomy (skin flap at the bottom of the vulva)

REMEMBER TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR VAGINAL PIERCING

Three bottles of Recovery aftercare for clit piercings

It’s important to care for your new clit piercing or vaginal piercing. You should try to get sufficient rest, eat healthy, stay hydrated, and practice generally good hygiene. You’ll also need to clean your clit piercing or vaginal piercing 3–6 times per day, preferably with something like Recovery Piercing Aftercare Spray or another sea salt-based solution. 

As mentioned earlier, avoid sexual play, intercourse and exchange of bodily fluids until your female genital piercing is fully healed. Expect to have some discharge of lymph, which is a relatively clear substance that tends to dry to a whitish crust (totally normal part of the healing process). However, if the discharge gets darker/more yellow and thicker, ramp up your aftercare regime to avoid an infection. You can check out our common piercing problems blog here so you know what to look for. Wait until your piercing is fully healed to change your jewelry, and don’t be afraid to ask your piercer for help the first time you do.

When you take care of your clit piercing or vaginal piercing, you’ll find they can be sexually stimulating, aesthetically pleasing, and all-around fun! While they’re not for the faint of heart, clit piercings and vagina piercings certainly have their pros. Check out everything you need to know about piercings for male genitals here.

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