International Masturbation Awareness Month |25 May 2018

 ‘The truth is, almost everybody does it - and often’

Many of us will brush off a day, let alone a month, dedicated to raising awareness about masturbation, as a click-bait article headline, given the shame and stigma attached to this act. If you are among this, you will be surprised to learn however, that it is indeed true.

Maryline Hollanda, programme manager for Sexual Reproductive Health at the Ministry of Health shares her knowledge and advice on the subject.

The month of May was first observed as International Masturbation Awareness Month in 1995 in the United States of America. The aim is to provide advice and support about the act of masturbation or self-pleasuring to promote safer and healthier sexual lives, and to reassure people that masturbation is actually common, natural and pleasurable.

Image: Andrew Zaeh for Bustle; TENGA

Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation may involve hands, fingers, everyday objects, sex toys such as vibrators, or combinations of these.

You may wonder, how something that has been shamed and stigmatised for so long can actually be healthy. Research has shown that masturbation can provide the following mental and physical health benefits:

• It does not result in unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections (STIs), making it 100%, the safest sex.
• Chemicals such as serotonin & acetylcholine are released during masturbation and these reduce tension & stress by providing a sense of relaxation both mentally and physically. This can also help to improve quality of sleep.
• Orgasms can help release good hormones such as endorphins which lead to feelings of happiness, and dopamine which provides us with feelings of satiation and sexual fulfilment.
• Improves self-esteem and body image by helping you learn and understand more about yourself.
• Helps to release sexual tension and treat sexual problems, e.g. orgasmic difficulties & premature ejaculation.
• Relieves menstrual cramps and muscle tension.
• Strengthens muscle tone in pelvic and anal areas.
• §   Helps you understand what you prefer sexually, making it easier to tell your partner so that you can achieve orgasms together.

The topic of masturbation is surrounded by many myths. Some widely-held but false beliefs and ideas about it include:

• Masturbating while in a relationship is cheating: Many people in relationships masturbate and this does not mean that they are cheating or bored, or that their partner is not satisfying them sexually. Because masturbation can help an individual learn more about themselves sexually, it can in turn help a relationship grow stronger, as long as it is not completely displacing partnered sexual activity.
• Masturbation decreases your sexual drive.
• Production of semen decreases when men masturbate.
• Masturbation can damage genitalia by affecting the clitoris or shrinking the penis.
• Women replace men by using vibrators.
• It is unhealthy or abnormal to masturbate.

Masturbation can only become a problem when a person does it obsessively and it starts affecting other people or areas in their lives such as work or in social settings. In such cases, a person is advised to seek help from a therapist.

To ensure safer and healthier masturbation practice:

• Women need to be careful when using dildo substitutes and men need to be careful when using materials or any openings; it is best not to use anything that can break. In both cases, skin / friction burns, blisters and sore spots can sometimes not appear for a while but they will cause discomfort when they do. It is possible that if an object is used for masturbation that there could also be damage to the delicate genital organ skin. Additionally, an object can become stuck during vaginal or anal stimulation.
• Avoid getting scented soaps or toothpaste into contact with your genitals.
• Hands and tools should be clean before masturbation in order to avoid bacterial infections.
• Lubrication is important to avoid any body parts becoming sore.
• Remember that excessive masturbation can cause penis chafing.
• Do not masturbate in public; masturbation in public or excessive masturbation are a problem.

For further information, contact:

• Your nearest Health Centre: 4388000
• Youth Health Centre: 4388383
• Health Promotion Unit, Ministry of Health: 4388060

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References:

http://www.humantruth.info/masturbation.html

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/sex-and-relationships/masturbation