5 Common Misconceptions About Masturbation

Misconceptions about masturbation exist because it’s portrayed as something that people should be ashamed of. For a long time, it was presented as a mental problem and a perversion. That’s why, even if they hear or read something, people won’t discuss it with anyone and will take those “facts” as true. This mostly happens to younger people who don’t have enough experience to see through someone’s lies, so they stay uneducated on this matter. Not only that it isn’t a mental problem and a perversion, but it’s healthy and acceptable, as almost everyone does it. In this article, you can read about common misconceptions about masturbation and why they’re so wrong.

It makes you infertile

Infertility is the inability to conceive a child, and there are several factors that can lead to this situation. One of those is low sperm production that is usually associated with masturbation. This is the reason people believe that masturbation makes people infertile but it’s simply not true. When you masturbate, you ejaculate the semen and it lowers its volume. However, even if you masturbate several times a day, it won’t make you infertile. It will significantly lower sperm production, but that just means that you have to wait and refrain from masturbating until it's restored. Optimum semen quality is usually restored after 12 to 24 hours, or a couple of days if you do it several times a day.

Women don’t masturbate

There are women who don’t masturbate due to religious reasons or because they’re not ready to embrace their sexuality. Some just don’t have the urge or high sex drive. However, it’s not true that they don’t masturbate at all. For some reason, female masturbation is a stigmatized topic and it’s seen as wrong, while male masturbation is encouraged and normal. That might be the reason why the number of women who masturbate is about 50 percent lower than that of men. Also, most people masturbate at least sometimes, so it means that women just don’t masturbate that often as men do. Given that fact, they enjoy it more than men do, as they think of it as just one part of their daily or weekly routine, while women are more thoughtful about it.

There’s a right way to masturbate

Some people refrain from masturbating because they say that they don’t know “the right way” to masturbate. However, there actually isn’t a right or wrong way to do it, but you should certainly pay attention to a few things. You should mind the length of your nails, as you don’t want to hurt yourself (or someone else), and you have to make sure your hands are clean. Apart from that, you can approach it however you want. Some people are satisfied with just their hands, while others enjoy using sex toys. The bottom line is that you shouldn’t be ashamed to experiment with different things.

Masturbation has no benefits

Similarly to the belief that masturbation has no benefits, there is a belief that it also has side effects. Compared to that, people who know the benefits of masturbation are few. Sexual stimulation can elevate mood, boost concentration, reduce stress, relieve menstrual cramps, release tension, and improve sex. It can also lessen vaginal dryness and decrease pain during sex. Exploring your body means that you’ll understand what you like or don’t like and that will certainly improve your sex life later on. During orgasm, your body releases endorphins, which makes you feel good. You will feel that after every orgasm, no matter if you’re alone or having sex with a partner. It may make you tired and improve your sleep quality as a result. To sum it up, it’s a healthy activity for both your emotional and physical well-being.

You can lose virginity by masturbating

Losing virginity is more of a cultural idea then the medical one, and everyone has their own definitions about it. However, if by “losing virginity” you mean breaking the hymen—no, you can’t lose virginity by masturbating. All kinds of things affect the state of the hymen, such as hormonal changes, physical activity, menstrual flow, etc. but in no way can you affect it that much by masturbating.

There are a lot more misconceptions about masturbation that make people refrain from doing it or make them afraid of exploring their sexualities. People don’t dare to experiment and see what they like and what makes them feel nice, which might affect their sex lives. Also, they don’t feel comfortable talking about those issues with their partners and that might lead their relationship in the wrong direction. Everyone should embrace their bodies, forget about so-called shame and abnormalities, and enjoy themselves.