There are certain taboo topics that aren\u2019t openly talked about, and masturbation \u2014 particularly, female masturbation \u2014 has certainly been one of them. But experts say that\u2019s starting to change.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a time when it wasn\u2019t open for women to talk about it,\u201d\u00a0Dr. Leah Millheiser, director of the female sexual medicine program at Stanford University Medical Center, tells Yahoo Life. \u201cNow patients are very open when asked. Women do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Millheiser acknowledges that \u201cthere are religions and cultures where it\u2019s not acceptable because sexual activity is meant to be procreative\u201d and that it\u2019s still \u201cmore accepted that males do it even though women do it, too,\u201d she says society has made \u201cmassive strides\u201d in talking about masturbation. \u201cWe talk about vibrators so openly now,\u201d she says. \u201cGwyneth Paltrow\u00a0talks about it. We\u2019ve normalized talking about vibrators and in [doing] that, normalized talking about masturbation, even if we don\u2019t say it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Debra Herbenick, the director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University in Bloomington, agrees, telling Yahoo Life that, in recent years, \u201cmore of my women college students talk openly about it.\u201d But some women still feel embarrassed, \u201cespecially if they were raised in more traditional or conservative homes,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd some women don\u2019t learn much about their vulva and vagina until adulthood; sexuality in schools rarely addresses masturbation, sexual pleasure, sexual exploration or orgasm.\u201d<\/p>\n
So here\u2019s what you need to know about female masturbation.<\/p>\n\n
While pleasure is the most obvious benefit of masturbation, experts say the practice comes with some health benefits as well, including stress relief and a better night’s sleep. That\u2019s because having an orgasm from masturbation releases\u00a0feel-good hormones called endorphins, which create feelings of relaxation and well-being.<\/p>\n
A 2019\u00a0study\u00a0found that having an orgasm through masturbation was associated with better quality sleep and an easier time falling asleep. \u201cIt [also] helps them fall asleep if they\u2019re stressed or anxious,\u201d says Millheiser.<\/p>\n
The orgasms that come with masturbation also \u201cimprove blood flow to the vagina,\u201d says Millheiser, \u201cand that keeps it healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s not all: Masturbating with a partner is also \u201ca form of safer sex,\u201d says Herbenick. According to\u00a0Planned Parenthood: \u201cIn fact, it\u2019s the safest way to have sexual pleasure there is \u2014 there\u2019s no risk of pregnancy or STDs.\u201d<\/p>\n
As\u00a0Alix Agar, associate marriage and family therapist at the\u00a0SHAPE Center, tells Yahoo Life: \u201cMasturbation to orgasm has all the benefits of genital intercourse to orgasm, without any of the downsides!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe single biggest misconception about female masturbation is that women don’t,\u201d says Agar, \u201cand of course, that’s simply not true. Women have always touched or rubbed their genitals for pleasure, just as men have. They just talk about it less.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adv<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n Herbenick agrees, saying: \u201cMany people don\u2019t realize how common masturbation is among women. However, about 3 in 4 women have ever masturbated.\u201d<\/p>\n A 2017\u00a0study\u00a0found that more than 40% of women had masturbated in the last month the research was conducted, with only about 22% of women reporting that they have never masturbated in their lifetime. The study also found that more than 50% of women had used a vibrator or dildo.<\/p>\n Another benefit to masturbation is that it helps with \u201cgetting to know your body\u201d and \u201cgetting to know what works for you\u201d in terms of stimulation and pleasure, notes Millheiser.<\/p>\n Agar calls masturbation \u201can effective tool for women to learn about their orgasmic capabilities \u2014 how quickly or slowly, how intensely and how long they can orgasm.\u201d She says that it\u2019s \u201ca huge benefit to sex with a partner as well, because it teaches a woman what types of touch, rhythms, etc., will bring her to orgasm, and she can teach her partner how to do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n She also points out that there\u2019s a \u201cdangerous misconception\u201d that girls and women who masturbate will become \u201coversexed, or sexualized too young or want too much sex.\u201d She says, \u201cThese are all outdated, misogynistic myths. They relate to ideas that women’s sexuality belongs to her husband or male partner and can only be developed or explored by him. In fact, the more any woman knows about her own body and her own capacity to achieve sexual pleasure, the more she will be able to achieve mutual sexual satisfaction with her partner. Masturbation can be an integral part of any couple’s sex life.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s rare that someone masturbates \u201ctoo much,\u201d says Herbenick. \u201cWhen that occurs, a person generally knows because their masturbation is getting in the way of work, school or their family or romantic\/sexual relationships,\u201d she says. \u201cIn other rare cases, someone may be masturbating so much or in such a difficult way that it hurts their body.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Herbenick says that \u201cpeople who are struggling with their approach to masturbation, or their feelings about masturbation, may be helped by connecting with a sex therapist or sex coach.\u201d She suggests visiting\u00a0AASECT.org\u00a0or\u00a0SSTARnet.org\u00a0to find a therapist in one\u2019s area.<\/p>\n Masturbating isn\u2019t just for the young and single. Married women and men, as well as older adults, partake as well. \u201cMasturbation is available to people across the lifespan, including people of advanced age,\u201d says Herbenick. \u201cIndeed, many older individuals find it easier to masturbate alone or together rather than have intercourse, given some of the logistics with intercourse positioning and\/or issues such as vaginal dryness or erectile function.\u201d<\/p>\n Herbenick adds: \u201cSolo and partnered masturbation are just two parts on a very full menu of ways to explore and connect sexually.\u201d<\/p>\n A 2020\u00a0study\u00a0published in the\u00a0Journal of Sexual Medicine<\/em>\u00a0found that when women use similar techniques and stimulation that feel good during masturbation and apply them during sex with their partners, they report a better orgasmic response and less difficulty achieving orgasm during partnered sex.<\/p>\n Masturbation can also be helpful to women entering menopause. \u201cWhen a woman goes into menopause, she has decreased blood flow,\u201d explains Millheiser. \u201cSo women will say, \u2018I can\u2019t achieve orgasm anymore\u2019 or \u2018It\u2019s really weak in intensity.\u2019 Or, \u2018I can\u2019t achieve it without using a vibrator.\u2019 That\u2019s related to a drop in estrogen and nerve conduction. You need more of that stimulation to achieve orgasm.\u201d And that\u2019s where masturbation comes in.<\/p>\n \u201cWomen will say, \u2018I can\u2019t achieve orgasms,\u2019 and what they’re really saying is, \u2018I can\u2019t have an orgasm with penile-vaginal or toy-vaginal penetration,\u201d explains Millheiser. \u201cBut you can ask them, \u2018Can you have orgasms through genital or clitoral stimulation?\u2019 \u2018Oh yeah, I can do that.\u2019 It\u2019s more common to have clitoral stimulated orgasms than vaginal penetration orgasms.\u201d<\/p>\n Millheiser says that it\u2019s perfectly OK if the only way you\u2019re able to achieve orgasm is through masturbation. \u201cDon\u2019t be disappointed if it doesn\u2019t happen,\u201d she says. \u201cEnjoy the orgasms that you do have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n There are certain taboo topics that aren\u2019t openly talked about, and masturbation \u2014 particularly, female masturbation \u2014 has certainly been one of them. But experts say that\u2019s starting to change. \u201cThere was a time when it wasn\u2019t open for women to talk about it,\u201d\u00a0Dr. Leah Millheiser, director of the female sexual medicine program at Stanford …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":75339,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[4958],"yoast_head":"\n\r\n \t
#3: It\u2019s a good way for women (and men) to learn about their bodies<\/strong><\/h2>\n
#4: Masturbating \u201ctoo much\u201d is rare<\/strong><\/h2>\n
#5: Married women \u2014 and older women \u2014 do it, too<\/strong><\/h2>\n
#6: It can improve your sex life<\/strong><\/h2>\n
#7: For some, it\u2019s the only way they orgasm<\/strong><\/h2>\n