Masturbation means touching your own genitals and intimate areas. It is a normal, safe and healthy part of growing up and exploring your sexuality. Masturbation can be done at any age, but you may notice that you become more interested in masturbating in your older childhood years and into your preteen and teenage years. There is nothing shameful about masturbation, but it should be something that you do in private, alone or with a consenting sexual partner.
What is masturbation?
Masturbation is a sexual activity that involves touching yourself in your intimate areas such as your genitals, breasts, buttocks or anus. For many people, their first sexual activity is masturbation. It can be done alone or with a consenting partner.
Many people use their hands to stimulate themselves, but it is also normal to use other objects. This is okay, as long as the object is safe and clean. Many people also use their imagination to fantasize while they masturbate.
Who masturbates?
Most people masturbate, whether they are single or in a relationship. This includes people of all ages, genders, abilities, ethnicities, cultures, sexualities, and religions. Some people choose not to masturbate, and that is okay too.
Why do people masturbate?
People usually masturbate because it feels good. It is also a good way to explore your body and learn about what kind of touching you enjoy. It is a safe activity that can prepare you for having sex with someone else; and if you do masturbate with a partner, it can be a shared sexual activity without the risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection (STI).
Masturbation is usually thought of as a purely sexual activity, but it can also be used to alleviate stress and help you relax.
Is masturbation harmful to me?
Masturbation is a safe activity. It cannot make you sick, change your physical body, make you go blind, cause you to grow extra hair, make you lose sexual sensation, affect your ability to have children in the future or give you an STI.
In order to keep masturbation a safe activity, it is important to avoid putting fragile, sharp, unclean, or excessively large objects inside your body (including your vagina, anus or mouth). These can cause tearing, blockage or infection.
How often is it okay to masturbate?
How often you masturbate is up to you. Some people masturbate every day, some people masturbate a few times a week, some people masturbate every once in a while, and some people never masturbate. You will find that as you get older and as different things happen in your life, you may increase or decrease the frequency at which you masturbate. As long as you are still enjoying other activities in your life and it is not interfering with your daily life, there is no wrong way to masturbate.
