Many men consider the size of their penis to be a strong indicator of their sexual prowess. The deep rooted belief that a bigger penis can better sexually satisfy a woman seems to be entrenched from early adolescence; and amongst men this 'bigger is better' notion is probably responsible for a fair few anxieties. But the big question is, "Do women feel the same?" In reality, is it true that women have better sex with a man with a bigger than average penis or is size a somewhat unimportant issue?

Speaking from a purely physiological stance it's often stated that penis size is relatively unimportant; and that a man with a relatively small penis should be able to sexually satisfy his partner just as well as those who are lucky enough to be better endowed.

The simple truth of the matter is that when aroused, the length of the average vagina is only four inches long. Yes, it can stretch in length to accommodate a bigger penis if necessary, but otherwise just four inches will do the job just as well.

But what's more, most of the nerve endings within the vaginal canal are found within these first four inches, which (internally at least) makes this by far the most sensitive part of the vagina and therefore, the most susceptible to stimulation. Not to mention the fact that the G-spot i.e. that highly sensitive area on the top side of the vaginal wall, is also located but a mere couple of inches inside.

An interesting tidbit is that the deeper recesses of the vagina are devoid of sensation to such an extent that it's actually possible to perform without anesthetic, minor surgical procedures deep inside without causing any discomfort.

So physiologically at least, an erect penis of just four inches in length should be able to stimulate all the right parts. And as such, it's pretty much a fallacy to suggest that a bigger penis in terms of length can provide any greater physical stimulation simply because it reaches further inside the vagina.

Likewise, the same physical principle applies to penis girth. The elastic tissues within the vagina are capable of both stretching to more than 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter during child birth but yet can also shrink sufficiently to hold a tampon firmly in place. Because of this extreme adaptability, the vagina will happily mould itself tightly around whatever size penis it encounters - big or small - and as such, a penis with a four inch circumference should provide just as much stimulation as one of six inches.

Psychological Preferences

Of course, the points mentioned above are just cold anatomical facts that give no regard to women's psychological preferences. Could it be that women find a bigger penis more of a psychological 'turn on' and therefore, experience greater sexual pleasure with a well endowed partner?

In 2005, a study conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles attempted to answer just this question. The study, based on 50,000 adult responses to an online 'body image' questionnaire found that eighty five percent of the women who took part in the survey were in fact 'very satisfied' with the size of their partner's penis. And what's more, only six percent of the women respondents considered their partner's penis to be smaller than average, although forty five percent of the men questioned admitted to wishing they could increase their penis size by an inch or two.

I should point out here that studies into penis size indicate that around ninety percent of men measure between five and seven inches in length when erect. As such, one can only assume that these eighty five percent of women were in most cases satisfied by a penis which fell within this average size range.

Another questionnaire reported in AskMen.com which involved two hundred women recorded similar results. According to the AskMen.com survey eighty two percent of the women questioned were content with an average sized penis of around six inches.

Interestingly however, this questionnaire also revealed that a minority of women did prefer a larger than average penis. Nine percent of the women said that their ideal penis measured seven to eight inches, whilst another two percent reported to prefer a massive ten to twelve inches.

This links in with a study into women's perceptions of penis size conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Groningen University Hospital, Netherlands in 2002; which concluded that, 'Although clearly in the minority, a nevertheless considerable percentage of women attached substantial importance to the size of the male sexual organ.'

So it seems that most women at least are content with a partner who has an average sized penis of around six inches. There are about ten percent of women however, who do prefer one of the ten percent of men who are lucky enough to have an erect penis length of over seven inches. But putting the minority aside, it seems that women in general are far less preoccupied with penis size than men and don't necessarily agree that a bigger penis equates to better sex.

So if your anxieties over penis size are related to your perceived ability to sexually satisfy your partner, then you can at last breathe a sigh of relief. When it comes to being a good lover, sexual technique is far more important than having a big penis. Of course, regardless of this, as men we naturally equate the size of our penises to our masculinity; and as such, there's no doubt that having a bigger penis can be the source of greater self confidence. But this is firmly a male perspective; woman at least it seems are quite happy with the average guy.