Forbidden Topic?
People talk about anything and everything but, for many
of us, having a conversation about masturbation is still taboo; we won't
discuss the subject at work or at dinner parties. My two favorite quotes from
Woody Allen are: “Don't knock masturbation, it's sex with someone you love” and
“I am such a good lover because I practice a lot on my own.”
Masturbation is a topic that could do with some airing.
It is easy to explain why, over the ages, religious groups have condemned
masturbation, claiming it inhibits self-control and promotes sexual
promiscuity. Given these negative messages some of us receive while growing up,
it is not surprising that there are still feelings of shame and embarrassment
about this very natural and healthy activity.
Several studies have shown that close to 100 per cent of
men masturbate, which is quite understandable, and for women it's about 82 per
cent, depending on age.
Masturbation is important for helping you to discover
your body and to find out what you like. Contrary to popular belief, you are
responsible for your own orgasm. So, if you know your body and know what
excites you, you will be able to communicate that to your partner.
Recent Study on
Linking Masturbation Habits to the Prostate Cancer Risk
Masturbation may be good for you – or bad, depending on
your age. The solitary sexual activity that is widely practiced but little
discussed, is linked with an increased risk of prostate cancer when practiced
frequently by young men in their twenties and thirties, doctors say.
But by the time men reach their fifties, it may protect
against the disease because it helps remove toxins that have built up over a
lifetime.
Prostate cancer is known to be driven by the male hormone
testosterone, and men with high levels of testosterone tend to have a higher
sex drive and a higher risk of the cancer.
But most research has examined older men because prostate
cancer is unusual under 50. Researchers at the University of Nottingham studied
the link between sexual activity in younger men and the disease to see if it
affected their long-term risk. More than 400 men with prostate cancer diagnosed
before the age of 60 were questioned about their sexual habits over the
preceding decades and the results compared with 400 controls.
The findings showed that those who had been most sexually
active in their twenties – having sexual intercourse or masturbating more than
20 times a month – were more likely to have the cancer. Frequent masturbation,
but not sexual intercourse, in the twenties and thirties was significantly
linked with the later development of prostate cancer.
In their 50s men who were most sexually active (more than
10 times a month for sexual intercourse and masturbation combined) enjoyed a
small protective effect. The effect was greater when masturbation was assessed
on its own.
Polyxeni Dimitripolou, who led the study published in the
British Journal of Urology International, said: "It seems as if keeping up
a certain level of sexual activity through the decades is better than having a
high level early [in the 20s and 30s] and then nothing."
"One theory is that during the early years the
prostate gland is more susceptible to hormonal changes and is still developing.
As men age and accumulate toxins from the diet or through their lungs, sexual
activity may help release them. Studies have found toxins in the semen and the
fluid produced in the prostate. As you age it is more important to flush them
out."
Other Benefits
The best thing about masturbation is its many unexpected
health benefits for both women and men.
Masturbation may:
1. Promote the
release of endorphins, the neurotransmitters associated with happy feelings
that can improve overall mood and fight off depression.
2. Produce a
chemical called oxytocin, which works as a natural pain reliever.
3. Help reduce
headaches and muscle aches.
4. Relieve
stress and tension and aid relaxation after a stressful day.
5. Provide a
sexual outlet for people who are on their own, by choice or circumstance.
6. Help to
induce sleep, or conversely, help to start the day with more energy.
7. Improve the
immune system and contribute to overall health.
8. Strengthen
muscle tone in the genital and pelvic floor area, which can lead to better sex.
9. Keep you
free from sexual transmitted infections as it's the safest kind of sex.
10. Help people
who suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), a neurological disorder causing
leg pain, cramps, tingling and itching, (published in the medical journal Sleep
Medicine). Several doctors in the US have had confirmation from their patients
that it helps.
11. Translate
into better sex as stimulating each other at the same time is intimate and
rewarding. People often masturbate into old age.
Possible health benefits, specific for women only:
1. Combats
pre-menstrual tension and other physical conditions associated with the
menstrual cycle, such as cramps.
2. Relieves
painful menstruation by increasing blood flow to the pelvic region; which will
also reduce pelvic cramping and related backaches.
3. Builds
resistance to yeast infections.
4. Allows women
to explore and understand their bodies better, so they will know what they like
when they have sex with a partner.
Possible health benefits, specific for men only:
1. May help
combat premature ejaculation by training to last longer; it's easier to
practice control when on your own.
2. Regular
flushing of the system keeps semen healthy.
Does masturbation
cause a decrease in sexual sensitivity?
For women who have sexual dysfunction, enhanced
stimulation, including masturbation, can help increase sexual desire and
sensitivity. In fact, two 2009 studies found that vibrator use among women and
men has been linked to an increase in desire, arousal, and overall sexual
function. Women also reported an increase in lubrication, while men reported
better erectile function, according to the studies.
Masturbation can affect sensitivity during sex for men
because of their technique. Research has shown that too tight of a grip on a
penis during masturbation can decrease sensation. Sexual health experts
recommend changing your technique during masturbation to restore sensitivity
levels during sex.
What is the
“normal” frequency of masturbation?
Some people masturbate more than others. There is no
“normal” frequency. Some do it daily, some weekly, and some rarely. Some never
do. However, the recent study performed by researchers from Harvard and Boston
medical schools and universities offers substantial proof that the risk of
prostate cancer was significantly lower in men who ejaculated at least 21 times
a month through sex or masturbation, in comparison with men, who ejaculated
just four-to-seven times a month.
There's no such thing
as "abnormal" masturbation
Men often wonder if there's something abnormal about the
way they masturbate. But experts are loath to offer specific definitions of
"normal" and "abnormal," pointing out that men show great
variations in both frequency and technique. "We humans are too diverse to
establish a norm," says Betty Dodson, PhD, a New York City-based
sexologist and the author of Sex for One. Every man masturbates in his own way,
says Martha Cornog, the author of The Big Book of Masturbation, whether he
"uses his hands, rubs against something, uses a sex toy or household
object, wears special clothing, fantasizes, looks at a book or magazine, tries
different positions, or looks in a mirror."
Masturbation is
very safe -- but not entirely safe
Unlike sex with a partner, masturbation can't give you a
sexually transmitted disease. Nor will it subject you to the muscle strains,
pokes in the eye, and awkward moments that can come with partner sex. But
masturbation safety isn't guaranteed. "Masturbation is just about the
safest sex there is," says Cornog. "But the laws of physics and
biology don't stop operating just because someone is masturbating."
Frequent or overly vigorous masturbation can irritate the
skin of the penis, as the average guy knows all too well. Less well known is
that habitually masturbating face down -- for example, by thrusting against a
sheet, pillow, or even a carpeted floor -- can injure the urethra in such a way
that urine exits the penis not in a stream but in a hard-to-control spray.
Barbara Bartlik, MD, a psychiatrist and sex therapist in New York City, says
she's seen facedown masturbators with urethral trauma so severe that they are
no longer able to use a urinal and must urinate while seated.
In certain extremely rare instances, masturbation and
partner sex alike can cause penile fracture. This painful condition -- actually
a tear in the tunica albuginea, the whitish tissue surrounding the penis's
spongy layers -- occurs when an erect penis strikes a hard object or is forced
downward. A medical emergency, it often necessitates surgery.
Solo sex can
supercharge your sex life -- or scuttle it
For various reasons, solo sex can be a real boon to sex
with a partner. It helps teach men about their own sexual response -- what
feels good to them and what doesn't -- so they will be better able to explain
to their partners just how they like to be touched. It helps men learn to
recognize the "moment of inevitability" just before orgasm and helps
teach them how to avoid premature ejaculation. Perhaps most significant, it's a
great coping mechanism for any man whose partner is temporarily unavailable for
sex -- because of absence or illness -- or has a sex drive that doesn't quite
match his own (something sex therapists call a disparity in frequency
preference).
Of course, some men become so obsessed with solo sex that
they begin to lose interest in having sex with their partner. The resulting
hurt feelings and alienation a partner feels can make it hard to sustain the
relationship. But experts are quick to point out that masturbation is perfectly
OK even for men in a committed relationship. "We cannot assume that just
because a man masturbates that there is a problem with his primary relationship,"
says Bartlik.
Masturbation and
guilt
Some people may feel guilty about masturbating because of
cultural, spiritual, or religious beliefs. Masturbation is neither wrong nor
immoral, but you may still hear messages that self-pleasure is “dirty” and
“shameful.” If you feel guilty over masturbating, speak with someone you trust
about why you feel this way and how you can move past that guilt. There are
also therapists that specialize in sexual health and may be a good resource.
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