Genital piercings have a mixed reputation depending on who you ask. And the internet is awash with conflicting, wild stories about these piercings. You have some people saying these piercings magically made them orgasm every time they walked and changed their entire sex life, and others saying these piercings can make you loose all sensation. Both of these statements are myths, and much of the information you do see online is exaggerations, or blatant falsehoods. You can actually learn more about these myths and see them debunked in this blog post. So I sat down with a number of people who both have these piercings and have been with folks with these piercings to get some honest, real world reviews about their experiences with them. Genital piercings like everything have pros and cons, and work for some folks and not others. You can read a great breakdown of the reality of genital piercings here, and I suggest reading that blog before this one! If you are curious about getting genital piercings, this blog goes over the most common frequently asked questions.
The following are anonymous quotes from people about what you can really expect from genital piercings!
On Vulva Piercings
“I got my VCH because so many people online said it increases pleasure and sensation. Well, it didn’t do any of that. I don’t really even feel it or notice its there. It is very cute though, and my husband loves it. It disappointed me at first that it didn’t change any sensation for me, but I’ve come to love how cute it is.”
“My outer labia piercings don’t really do anything, but they are so cute and make me feel so confident in my body. And my partners with penises have mentioned loving the feeling of them and the textural difference, particularly when I’m on top.”
“It makes me feel empowered to have my lady bits decorated”
“I decided to get my VCH after experiencing SA. It’s been a way of reclaiming my body from my assailant. It reminds me every day that my body is mine, not his. And that I’m strong enough to get that piercing.”
“Mine definitely empowered me. I lack sensation in my bits and it made me feel better about it.”
“Their not nearly as intimidating as they seem, and I also feel super empowered. Plus- they’re cute!”
“I thought my VCH was going to really hurt, but it was the easiest piercing I have, even down to healing. It feels like it healed in no time! Also it makes my muffin look so pretty. Maya partner loves it because, and I quote “I can always find it.”
“II have my VCH done and honestly it’s my favorite piercing, it’s a fun little surprise when I’m with a new partner and it definitely helps with sensation which is something I struggled with before the piercing. As far as the process it was quick and easy I got it done on a 15 min from work and went back and worked the rest of my shift with no issue and it wasn’t sore anymore after 3 or so days.”
“From having a VCH- I’m already pretty sensitive, and the jewelry made vibrators feel way to intense. I. Tried a few jewelry styles with various sized ends or captive beads, but it got really uncomfortable with partners when the jewelry would move till the bead was under my hood. From having an intimate experience with a partner with an Apadravya: it’s awfully sexy to look at but it made giving head terrifying and got painful during intercorse within about 10 minutes-he said that most of his partners can’t handle him wearing it at all.
From both perspectives I give a 10/10 for aesthetics but a 1/10 for actual use. My inner heaux cannot deal with them unfortunately”.
“I have a triangle and a vch and both make me feel better about my anatomy- a better connection to my body. I don’t have a lot of sensation but these increased things a lot. My triangle was shockingly less painful then I expected.”
“I had to retire my VCH because it simply doesn’t work well with vibrators or suction based toys.”
“My VCH was super easy to heal. Doesn’t do anything stimulation wise one way or the other. It intimidates many new partners and they don’t quite know what to do with it.”
“Not gonna lie, genital piercings aren’t for me. The “oh god what if there’s crusties??” for nipple piercings pulls me right out of the mood, same with “What if a ball comes off?” for any penetration areas.”
“I have paired outer labia, a surface piercing as a “faux Christina” and a VCH. I love all of them for purely aesthetics only! I find that when it comes to functionality there are pros and cons. I generally use vibrators during solo/partnered sex and I find that you definitely want to have a more rubbery texture on them, otherwise you get some wild sensations or noises if it’s too hard of a material. When it comes to sex with a partner, no issues with the anchor or outer labia (I do wear fitted curved barbells) but with my hood I do NOT care for having oral sex with it in. I found the jewelry would come out, generally get in the way, or even end up in my partners mouth and I wouldn’t notice?? I also had it just drop out of the piercing several times during sex, or just normal life. Part of this is because I wear a HUGE front on the curve, but the 5/32 bead would just slide through the piercing like nothing. That all being said I love my piercing, I just don’t always find it to be functional to wear during sex, or even all the time.”
“I have a vch, 3x paired sets of outer labia and a set of paired inner labia as well. Visually, I love them, and they’ve reduced the little bit of bottom dysphoria I’ve had as a nonbinary person, but they’re not -functional- in the sense of added sensation. They’re just there, and I love them, and I love the way they look and they make me feel a lot more comfortable in my body. Sometimes things get pinchy, or I’ll sit the wrong way and one will twist weird and I’ll have to adjust it, but it’s never been a big enough issue to make me want to get rid of any of them. They’ve never been a problem RE: intercourse, other than needing to get moved out of the way and I’ve had partners with penises previously say that they could feel them and enjoyed the sensation of it but it wasn’t like.. a drastic difference from regular penetrative sex. They seem very intimidating to pierce but are not as intimidating as they seem which is HUGE, and it kind of makes me feel like a badass knowing that I got them and healed them (mostly, my most recent set of outers is only like 5 days old lmao) and they look cool as fuck.”
“I love my vch. It was originally done 16g. I wore it for maybe a year before taking it out for a couple years, then successfully tapered it. I was able to very comfortably stretch it slowly to a 4g and it was ADORABLE (it was a 3/8 curve with 8mm balls). It's smaller now because I got self conscious of visibility through leggings. I like to switch it up with curves, straight barbells, or hoops for functionality and comfort during intimate times.”
“Having a bezel set cab on my vch didn't always go well with heavy play, especially when using a magic wand. Things would get rubbed raw sometimes which made me pretty uncomfortable and I removed it. However, the 12ga healed so much better than the 14ga (14 was my first experience and it tore) It didn't do much in regards to sensation increase or decrease. It was nothing more than just putting something really cute and shiny in my flesh.
Had a partner with a jacobs ladder once and it was not fun or pleasurable. I had to stop a few strokes into penetration. It felt like I was being fucked with a round hair brush.”
“Inner and outer labia paired piercings made me feel beautiful and for this first time in my life, I saw my vagina as something attractive, pretty to look at, and something I could decorate and celebrate my personality. My VCH piercing came first tho, and not only was it cute, it’s very functional and very comfortable with little to no pain during the procedure or (very swift) healing process. Personally, I recommend vch procedures to clients with the anatomy and curiosity that have no experience with genital piercings.”
“I have historically loved having partners with penile piercings, particular apadravyas. Past a 6g, beads get a little weird to give head around, but I love them anyway. Ampallangs are NOT the jam for me though. That’s not how things are oriented and it always fits…oddly.
Having recently gotten 3x inner labia, I wish I had known how goopy the healing would be just as a heads up. The aesthetics are A+ (especially bc I was specifically inspired by a Charles Gatewood photo) BUT the pinchy ways they can sit or get interacted with are definitely a learning curve.
Getting them was quite easy though and I wish I’d done them sooner!”
“I lack a lot of sensation in my genitals and it low key made me feel useless or like something was wrong with me. Getting my VCH didn’t help with sensation but it made me feel better about my body. Helped me reclaim a part of my body I spent most of my life thinking was broken.”
“I love my VCH so much, but I'm a very hypersexual person, so it can sometimes be unconventional for a few reasons:
1) vibrators on metal can be painful
2) mine had the issue where the hole stretched out so much that the ends started sliding right through, so every time there was activity down there, the jewelry would pop right out.
3) really just kinda gets in the way in certain scenarios?
Don't get me wrong, it's absolutely beautiful and makes me feel like a baddie, but it's always giving me some type of issue “
VCH just was not for me & I felt like it was just in the way rather than enhancing anything.
I had a Christina piercing and two inner and outer labia piercings, absolutely LOVED them & felt like a fucking queen. Once I’m done with laser hair removal I will absolutely be getting them again.
I have had partners who have had Frenum, PA, and a jacobs ladder. PA was painful for me & I actually chipped my tooth giving head with the frenum, I think it was a 6g. So not the best experience. BUT if they were wearing a condom is was definitely manageable for me.”
“My girlfriend has outer labia piercings and a vch and honestly I love them! Mostly the VCH, as it makes it effortless to find the clit, and makes it easier to stimulate during oral. I also just think the jewelry is pretty sexy, even though as first I wasn’t sure about her getting it.”
“My clitoris needs a nuclear bomb to go off on it for me to actual feel anything so while my VCH was cute, it was really a problem for localized vibrator/suction toys. It was just in the way and inconvenient for me. It didn’t last long.
I’ve also never loved how sex felt w a penile piercings. I actually had my fat cat labia get pinched by a partners jewelry once and I’ve been slightly turned off by them ever since. Aesthetically I think they’re all cute but not in my pants thank you”
“Labia piercings have never worked for me because of the way my thigh fat cushions my vulva, which is a bummer because I loved them. However even the act of trusting a piercer (someone I know and am friends with!) to see my genitals, which give me dysphoria and have trauma associated with, to touch them and pierce them which is already an incredibly vulnerable thing, has been immensely healing.
As the receptive partner in penetrative sex, I have historically enjoyed apadravyas, and PAs with curved barbell style jewelry and rings 4ga and over. Too much thinner than that feels like I'm being sliced open.”
“I have a 10ga VCH! I stretched over time from being pierced at a 14ga about nine years ago. I prefer to wear captive rings as they do not pinch as often. I do not have any issues with vibrators or suction toys as others have mentioned, except that vibrators can be loud if placed in the wrong spot. I find that it’s a lot easier for new partners (particularly cis men) to actually know where my clitoris is compared to when I didn’t have it, as uh cliché as that sounds. It’s like a beacon lol. Every new partner I have had is always super excited about it. The only con I have really is that when it was a smaller gauge it would pinch during penetrative sex in some positions. It’s not really an issue now at all. I tell people it doesn’t make stimulation/feeling better or worse, just vaguely different.”
“I’ve had my vch over 20 years. It’s my favourite piercing but it offers nothing sexually it’s just pretty . I use a captive ring so have no issues with pinching but as already said some sucky toys don’t work with it and I have to remove it to get the full benefit of the toy.
I did have an incident before I was a piercer . My husband at the time had a seam ring in his lip that wasn’t closed properly and we got “attached” during oral . Let me tell you it took a while to get us apart as we couldn’t actually see what we were doing .
I’ve also had several sexual experiences of PA’s I love how they look but if always end up bleeding despite not feeling any pain so for me I’d rather not have sexual partners that are pierced”
“My VCH was pretty, but didn’t give me as much added sensation as I had hoped! Although it’s been years since I removed it and I’m planning on having it redone to try again hahah. I think it was done a bit too shallow the first time so I’m hoping this time might give me better results!
I’ve had a few partners with Apadravya’s, and found it quite comfortable when they wore plain balls on the ends of the barbell, but I had one partner who wore M&M beads, and it consistently made me bleed during penetrative sex, and scraped the shit out of the top of my mouth during oral. I had no such issues with plain balls!”
On Penile Piercings
“When it comes to having a stretched PA at a 0g & up, wearing a curved bar is the easiest jewelry for removing by yourself. while a cbr or segment rings have more weight, trying to remove them can very much a pain. So something to keep in mind if sexually active with a partner who may not enjoy the feeling of the jewelry.”
“I have 3 guiche piercings and I love them. Walking around while healing was a bit awkward, as walking could pinch them and felt uncomfortable. Now that they are healed however they feel great. I do have to wear underwear even when working out which I didn’t consider before. Overall I barely notice them unless they hit together which makes a very erotic sound. The feeling of hanging weights off them is very pleasurable, and my boyfriend says he loves the view of them. My only complaint is I can’t fit more!”
“My PA makes me feel better about being circumsized.”
“I’ve had one partner with an Apadravya and let me tell you that shit feels like a cheese grater on your vagina. It was so painful for me. I couldn’t deal with it.”
“I slept with a man with an Apadravya briefly and it was the most amazing thing ever. I’ll never forget him and what that piercing did for me. I wish my current boyfriend would get one”
“People warned me that it’ll leak when you pee with a PA but I didn’t realize quite how much. I sit to pee now. I love it though and would get it again!”
“I have six scrotal piercings and they look great and feel great. I freeball all the time and they feel amazing walking around. They were pretty easy to heal!”
“I really wanted a ladder but the piercings often migrated, and I just didn’t like how they sat once that happened. I’m bummed, because I loved the look. But they weren’t healing well for me. “
“Have tried a few different below the belt piercings that never really worked out for me personally. Ive had a pubic and a guiche piercing, both done at 10g, worked as hard as i could to heal for over a year n both eventually were retired because they were pinchy and irritated all the time.
I think alot had to do with my personal hygiene routine tbh! Im not a daily shower kinda gal n I think these kinds of piercings really benefit from daily upkeep.”
“I've had a rather well-hung partner with a 6 or 4g PA with Captive bead which was not only attractive to me in its own right, but was vaginally stimulating I just hated it from an oral perspective because it would knock the shit out of my molars. “I've had a rather well-hung partner with a 6 or 4g PA with Captive bead which was not only attractive to me in its own right, but was vaginally stimulating I just hated it from an oral perspective because it would knock the shit out of my molars.
“My partner got a PA on my request. Not only does it feel amazing during, but we got a custom chastity cage to use with it. It’s very exciting to be able to lock him up and he loves all the new sensations. “
“I’ve always resented my parents for circumsizing me. I know know how many nerve endings I’ve lost and how much I’ve been effected by it. For years it was my biggest insecurity and I wished there was something I you cold do to undo it. Eventually I made peace with being uncircumsized, and I got piercings as a way to help me love my body. It worked better then I expected- I have a PA, 2 frenums, and some hafadas, and I’m finally happy with everything. I’’ll never be able to undo being circumsized, but piercings gave me new sensations, new experiences, and a better relationship with my body.”
“I really like urethral stimulation and have been sounding for years. When I thought it couldn’t get any better, I got a PA done. I’ve since strecched it to a 0g and let me tell you, sex has never been better. Its a world of new sensations, and I can feel pleasure from inside and outside my cock. And the weight of the ring feels amazing when it sways and moves, and especially when its hard.”
“I have been with two partners with penile piercings. I never really noticed a difference with penetrative sex with the first partner. He had a frenum piercing. One time the ball of the barbell came off mid oral, luckily I caught it with my tongue and just screwed it back on. Which was heart racing, and kind of sketchy but we made it work, lol.
The other partner had a PA and it was I want to say a 2g so it was rather large and the jewelry was bulky so it would clang my teeth during oral and I was always like dear god imma crack a tooth but penetrative sex was still comfortable.
Im still too chicken to get one even though I know I have great anatomy for a Christina and I think it would make me feel way better about my downstairs set up but it ~terrifies~ me”
“A penis with a full ladder feels like fucking a washboard.”
“Both myself and my husband have our PAs done and we love them. The amount of sensation for both the wearer and the receiver is great. We own an assortment of pieces to swap between, although we find curves and tribal rings the most comfortable for penetration. It was also an amazing bonding experience to get and heal them together and take care of each other. It was a very vulnerable process and I think healing them was such an intimate experience. We love them”
“I wish I realized how many people wouldn’t like these piercings before I got them. Don’t get me wrong I love having them and don’t have any intention to retire them, but it can be hard to find partners who enjoy the piercings and who the piercings aren’t painful for. It’s ended a few relationships before they could really begin.”
“I waited till I was in my 50’s to get my PA done even though I had wanted it since my 20s. I was so scared of the pain and of judgement for having it. My only regret is that I waited so long! It was less painful them my nipple piercings, and I absolutely love it and so does my wife.”
“My Guiche is my favorite piercing, it adds a little something to sex and I love the feeling and weight!”
“Apadravyas hit my g-spot just right during sex and feel amazing. I think everyone needs one.”
Special thanks to the Piercer Babes group, The Cubby Hole Forum, and everyone on Reddit for allowing me to sit down, ask some super personal questions, and get all these wonderful reviews.