Masturbation is when you give yourself sexual pleasure. It’s really common! You might do it with your hands or sex toys. Lots of people masturbate to learn what feels good for them. Masturbating can be a healthy habit! There are very few risks to masturbating. People masturbate for lots of different reasons! Mostly, people do it because they like how it feels.
Masturbation can be good for you! It can make your body release chemicals that relieve pain and make you feel happy. They can make headaches, menstrual cramps, and stress feel better.
Can I get an STI from masturbating?
You can’t get an STI you don’t already have by masturbating. But, if you have an infection in one part of your body you can spread it to other parts of your body. So, if you have genital herpes it’s possible to spread it to your mouth. Here are some things you can do to lower the risk:
- Wash your hands before and after you masturbate
- Wear latex gloves
- Clean your sex toys
- Cut your nails to avoid cuts
- Put a condom over any toys you share with someone else
- Get tested for STIs
It’s also possible to get or give STIs if you’re masturbating with your partners. The risk of it is low, but it’s still something to talk to your partner about! You can lower the risk with the same things listed above.
You can get an infection from sex toys if you don’t clean them well. Different sex toys have different cleaning instructions, so you can check the package it came in. You can even sterilize some sex toys by boiling them!
Is masturbation okay?
Almost all doctors agree that there’s nothing wrong with masturbating! Most adults masturbate or have masturbated at some point. Sometimes people say bad things about masturbating, but they’re myths. Masturbating is really healthy and common.
Some people think that masturbating is mostly for cisgender men. But people of all genders masturbate, no matter what body parts they have. Some people don’t want to masturbate at all, and that’s okay too!
Can you masturbate too much?
Some people like masturbating more or less often than others. A lot of people worry they masturbate too much.
Masturbating is great long as it doesn’t stop you from doing important things like school or seeing your friends. If you’re worried you’re masturbating too much or watching too much porn then you can talk to a doctor or someone you trust. If not, then masturbating could be good for you!
Can masturbation hurt my body?
Some people worry that masturbation might hurt or change their bodies. Masturbating won’t cause any changes to your body. It’s not harmful at all!
Lots of people like to masturbate. It’s a common and healthy way to enjoy yourself and learn what you like!
