Whether you enjoy sex toys or just using your hands, masturbation – the act of stimulating your own genitals for pleasure – is a perfectly natural, healthy form of self-care.
But according to a report from Flo Health, a fifth of women still think that masturbating is shameful or wrong. Perhaps more surprisingly, this taboo is more common among younger women with 25% of 18-34 year olds seeing the practice as shameful.
Considering that according to a report in 2020, women masturbate once a week, or around 49 times a year – that’s a lot of time spent feeling ashamed of harmless pleasure.
In fact, masturbation is actually very good for your health and wellbeing, and there should be no shame tied to it.
The health benefits of masturbation
According to the Queensland Department of Health, there are many health benefits tied to masturbation:
- Masturbation and orgasm releases endorphins which reduce pain, stress, and improve overall sense of wellbeing
- Female orgasms involve the uterus contracting and relaxing while releasing endorphins and oxytocin (the love hormone!). This can also help with feelings of pleasure but are particularly helpful during menstruation as oxytocin is a natural painkiller and can reduce the effects of period pain. Interestingly, this can also be effective during labour.
- Improved body image. Women who masturbate more frequently associate pleasure with their bodily responses and some report developing greater satisfaction with their body and sense of self
Masturbation can also be a great way to get to know your body and what works and doesn’t work for you. Each body is different and this is especially true when it comes to what helps us get off. According to a 2016 report, 64% of females need both clitoral and vaginal stimulation to orgasm.
Learning what works for you can help you to guide your partner, resulting in a closer connection between you both.
Basically, in short, masturbation is one of the best forms of self-care for you and your body.