Wet Land

It’s kind of wild that female masturbation is still something of a taboo topic. This is especially galling when you take the benefits of female masturbation into account. It would be one thing if masturbation were just this thing you do without any potential payoff, but in reality, masturbation—and the orgasms it may cause—can bring a lot of good into your life. These benefits aren’t even just limited to your sexual health.

“I recommend [masturbation] to the women I [treat],” says Kelley Kitely, L.C.S.W., a women’s mental health expert based in Chicago, tells us. “But a lot of women are embarrassed by it. My hope is that we can normalize it for women, too, because it’s such a natural function,” Kitely says. “I like to refer to it [on the same level of importance] as eating, sleeping, and brushing our teeth.” Sign us up.
Although there’s not a wealth of …

Maybe masturbation is a regular part of your sex life and you do it so often you never give it a second thought. Or you don’t do it nearly as often as your body wants you to, but you want to work it into your routine. Whatever your situation, getting busy with yourself is something all women should embrace as normal and healthy—though not everyone is comfortable with the idea of it.

“It’s an age old problem of societal normalization,” says Holly Richmond, PhD, somatic psychologist and certified sex therapist. “Boys are brought up to think masturbation is the norm, but it’s not talked about for girls.” That’s a real shame, especially since self-stimulation can deliver a host of mind-body benefits. To set the record straight, we’ve rounded up 9 fascinating facts every woman needs to know about masturbation. Start reading . . . then show yourself some love.

Women

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How much do you know about masturbation? Here’s a look at some of the main things scientists have learned over the years from studying self-love, including who does it, why they do it, how they do it, and what physical and psychological effects it has on us.

1.) A majority of both men and women masturbate. However, men are more likely to have done it and they tend to do it more often than women.

2.) When considering people who have testosterone levels within the normal range, research has found that higher levels of testosterone are linked to having more desire for masturbation, but only among women; among men, testosterone levels are unrelated to masturbatory desire. This suggests that the factors triggering interest in masturbation may be different for men and women.

3.) People of all ages masturbate. Younger people are more likely to report doing it, but they’re definitely …

“I think I masturbate more when I’m stressed.”

“You masturbate?”

This conversation I had with a male friend embodies the surprise a lot of people express when they find out I not only masturbate, but also admit it unabashedly.

Because even though this friend and I talked about sex all the time and he knew I was sexually active in my relationships, the idea that I would be sexual alone hadn’t occurred to him.

And that’s because we’re taught that women’s sexuality only exists for other people.

Ever since I discovered masturbation accidentally during childhood, it’s been something I did in response to my own desires, not a show to put on for anyone.

I don’t get into sexy poses or make seductive noises. I don’t light candles or take baths. In short, I don’t go about the process differently from the way anyone else – men included – does. …

Men may talk about it more often, but women do it, too.

More than half of American women 18-49 masturbate at least once every 3 months, according to a study from The Kinsey Institute, and that’s true for single women and those who are coupled up. Self-pleasure doesn’t have the stigma it once did, says Nicole Prause, PhD, but myths still affect the way that some women feel about it — and how they do (or don’t) touch themselves.

Here are five things you should know about masturbation.

1. It’s good for you.

Masturbating increases blood flow throughout your body and releases feel-good brain chemicals called endorphins. “That may explain why there’s a clear mood benefit, even if you don’t orgasm,” says Prause, a sexuality researcher at UCLA. And while men are more likely to talk about blowing off steam by masturbating, research suggests it’s a stress-reliever for both sexes. …