There are lots of different ways to have sex – and masturbation is one of them. Masturbation is a type of sex that you do on your own. It’s when you touch yourself to give yourself sexual pleasure.
Lots of people masturbate, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s not bad to do it, and it can’t harm you. In fact, it can feel great and help you explore what you do and don’t like when it comes to sex. Plus there’s no risk of pregnancy, HIV or other sexually transmitted infections either.
It’s when you touch your genitals or other parts of the body for sexual pleasure. It is sometimes known as ‘solo sex’ because it is something you do on your own.
Masturbation is a safe and healthy thing to do, and it can have many benefits.
Everyone is different. There is no right or wrong way to masturbate. And if you don’t want to masturbate that’s okay too!
Masturbation involves touching parts of the body. These parts can be sexual organs like your breasts or penis. But other parts, like your face or stomach, might feel good to touch too.
For women, the most sensitive part of the body is the clitoris. This is a small bump just above the vagina’s opening. Rubbing your clitoris can feel really good. You can do this with your fingers or a sex toy. You may also like to insert your fingers or a sex toy around and in and out of your vagina or anus.
For men, it can feel really good to rub and stroke your penis. You may like to do this quickly or slowly or both. You may also like to cup, stroke or squeeze your balls. Or you may get pleasure from inserting your fingers or a sex toy around and in and out of your anus.
If you want to masturbate, find somewhere you can be on your own where you feel relaxed and won’t be interrupted. If you are using sex toys, make sure they are clean. The same goes for your hands.
Some people like to watch porn or look at sexy photos when they masturbate. Others prefer to think of things that turn them on, like people they are attracted to or things they have seen in real-life or on TV.
No! Like all types of sex, you should only do it if you want to. Some people feel it is against their religious or cultural beliefs to masturbate, and that’s okay.
How you feel about masturbation and sex will change throughout your life. Sometimes you may want to do both, one or the other, or neither. All of these things are fine.
You’ll feel aroused. This is when the vagina gets wet and the penis becomes erect, getting bigger and harder. You might have an orgasm or ejaculate. This is when tension builds up in your body and is then released in a sudden pleasurable rush. Semen (white fluid) may come out of your penis. Women can release a clear fluid too.
Generally, masturbation does not have any harmful side effects, and it is not wrong or immoral. Despite this, some people feel guilty or ashamed when they masturbate. But it’s a really normal thing to do.
It can feel great. And it can help you learn about your body and what turns you on. It can also make you appreciate your body, which is especially good if you are feeling worried about your body and how it looks.
Masturbation can also help you relax and deal with stress. It can even make you sleep better.
And it’s safer than any other type of sex. This is because you have no risk of HIV or STIs, and it can’t lead to pregnancy.
How much you masturbate is up to you. There is no normal amount, and everyone is different. How much you masturbate is likely to change over the course of your life.
If you feel like you are masturbating a lot and it is affecting your relationships, or it is making you feel bad about yourself or others, it might be worth speaking to a counsellor or someone you trust.
There are no harmful effects from masturbating on your period.
Some people feel more turned on during this part of their menstrual cycle, others don’t. Masturbation can also relieve cramps and low moods which some people get around their period.
If you masturbate when you are on your period blood may come out of your vagina. To deal with this you could put a cloth or towel underneath you. Or masturbate in water where the blood will wash away.
There are no harmful effects to you or your unborn baby if you masturbate when pregnant. Some people find their sex drive increases when they are pregnant and that masturbation is one way to relieve this sexual tension.
Masturbation can also help to relieve the physical and mental stresses that can happen during pregnancy. And it might make you feel good about your body, even though it is changing.
Some people think that masturbating when in a relationship is a sign of being sexually unfulfilled. But this isn’t true. In fact, masturbation can improve sex with a partner as it can help you understand what turns you on and feels good. If you know what you like then you can show your partner. This is likely to lead to better sex.
Some people like to masturbate with their partner. This is called mutual masturbation and can be really fun. But like all types of sex, you need to get consent. Masturbating in front of your partner – or anyone else – without them saying you can is not okay.
No! Masturbating doesn’t lead to infertility. Even masturbating frequently won’t have any effect on your sperm count.
Masturbation is a safe and healthy thing to do, and it can have many benefits.
Young people might feel embarrassed to talk about masturbation. To help them develop a healthy attitude to masturbation let them know there is nothing to be ashamed of – masturbation is normal and natural.
Be aware that some young people may just be curious about masturbation, while others may have already tried masturbating or may be masturbating regularly.
Wherever they are at, it's important they know you are there to support them and won’t judge. Listen carefully and ask questions to work out what their worries and concerns are. To start the conversation, you could try asking them what they’ve heard about masturbation before or what they already know about it.
If they are feeling guilty or bad for masturbating, encourage them to explore why this might be, and reassure them they have done nothing wrong. Be ready to give them the facts to address any falsehoods they may have heard about masturbation.
If they are worried they are masturbating too much, let them know that it is normal to masturbate a lot when you are young. But let them know that if they feel like masturbation is getting in the way of relationships or is making them feel bad about themselves or others then it might be helpful for them to speak to a counsellor.
It’s when you touch your genitals or other parts of the body for sexual pleasure. It is sometimes known as ‘solo sex’ because it is something you do on your own.
Masturbation is a safe and healthy thing to do, and it can have many benefits.
Everyone is different. There is no right or wrong way to masturbate. And if you don’t want to masturbate that’s okay too!
Masturbation involves touching parts of the body. These parts can be sexual organs like your breasts or penis. But other parts, like your face or stomach, might feel good to touch too.
For women, the most sensitive part of the body is the clitoris. This is a small bump just above the vagina’s opening. Rubbing your clitoris can feel really good. You can do this with your fingers or a sex toy. You may also like to insert your fingers or a sex toy around and in and out of your vagina or anus.
For men, it can feel really good to rub and stroke your penis. You may like to do this quickly or slowly or both. You may also like to cup, stroke or squeeze your balls. Or you may get pleasure from inserting your fingers or a sex toy around and in and out of your anus.
If you want to masturbate, find somewhere you can be on your own where you feel relaxed and won’t be interrupted. If you are using sex toys, make sure they are clean. The same goes for your hands.
Some people like to watch porn or look at sexy photos when they masturbate. Others prefer to think of things that turn them on, like people they are attracted to or things they have seen in real-life or on TV.
No! Like all types of sex, you should only do it if you want to. Some people feel it is against their religious or cultural beliefs to masturbate, and that’s okay.
How you feel about masturbation and sex will change throughout your life. Sometimes you may want to do both, one or the other, or neither. All of these things are fine.
You’ll feel aroused. This is when the vagina gets wet and the penis becomes erect, getting bigger and harder. You might have an orgasm or ejaculate. This is when tension builds up in your body and is then released in a sudden pleasurable rush. Semen (white fluid) may come out of your penis. Women can release a clear fluid too.
Generally, masturbation does not have any harmful side effects, and it is not wrong or immoral. Despite this, some people feel guilty or ashamed when they masturbate. But it’s a really normal thing to do.
It can feel great. And it can help you learn about your body and what turns you on. It can also make you appreciate your body, which is especially good if you are feeling worried about your body and how it looks.
Masturbation can also help you relax and deal with stress. It can even make you sleep better.
And it’s safer than any other type of sex. This is because you have no risk of HIV or STIs, and it can’t lead to pregnancy.
How much you masturbate is up to you. There is no normal amount, and everyone is different. How much you masturbate is likely to change over the course of your life.
If you feel like you are masturbating a lot and it is affecting your relationships, or it is making you feel bad about yourself or others, it might be worth speaking to a counsellor or someone you trust.
There are no harmful effects from masturbating on your period.
Some people feel more turned on during this part of their menstrual cycle, others don’t. Masturbation can also relieve cramps and low moods which some people get around their period.
If you masturbate when you are on your period blood may come out of your vagina. To deal with this you could put a cloth or towel underneath you. Or masturbate in water where the blood will wash away.
There are no harmful effects to you or your unborn baby if you masturbate when pregnant. Some people find their sex drive increases when they are pregnant and that masturbation is one way to relieve this sexual tension.
Masturbation can also help to relieve the physical and mental stresses that can happen during pregnancy. And it might make you feel good about your body, even though it is changing.
Some people think that masturbating when in a relationship is a sign of being sexually unfulfilled. But this isn’t true. In fact, masturbation can improve sex with a partner as it can help you understand what turns you on and feels good. If you know what you like then you can show your partner. This is likely to lead to better sex.
Some people like to masturbate with their partner. This is called mutual masturbation and can be really fun. But like all types of sex, you need to get consent. Masturbating in front of your partner – or anyone else – without them saying you can is not okay.
No! Masturbating doesn’t lead to infertility. Even masturbating frequently won’t have any effect on your sperm count.
Masturbation is a safe and healthy thing to do, and it can have many benefits.
Young people might feel embarrassed to talk about masturbation. To help them develop a healthy attitude to masturbation let them know there is nothing to be ashamed of – masturbation is normal and natural.
Be aware that some young people may just be curious about masturbation, while others may have already tried masturbating or may be masturbating regularly.
Wherever they are at, it's important they know you are there to support them and won’t judge. Listen carefully and ask questions to work out what their worries and concerns are. To start the conversation, you could try asking them what they’ve heard about masturbation before or what they already know about it.
If they are feeling guilty or bad for masturbating, encourage them to explore why this might be, and reassure them they have done nothing wrong. Be ready to give them the facts to address any falsehoods they may have heard about masturbation.
If they are worried they are masturbating too much, let them know that it is normal to masturbate a lot when you are young. But let them know that if they feel like masturbation is getting in the way of relationships or is making them feel bad about themselves or others then it might be helpful for them to speak to a counsellor.
