What is masturbation?
Masturbation means touching your genitals for physical pleasure. Masturbation is very common. Most boys and girls masturbate regularly as they become sexually mature. Masturbation can give a person some release from the tension of sexual urges without all the problems that come with sexual intercourse, such as the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and getting pregnant.

Masturbation is a way of getting to know your sexual self. Because you do it alone, you don't need to feel embarrassed or anxious about how your body responds to sexual stimulation. You can get to know how your body feels when it's aroused and when you have an orgasm. Masturbation will help you learn about your body's likes and dislikes during sex. It's also risk-free because you can't catch any sexually transmitted diseases. back to top

What happens during masturbation?
Girls and women usually masturbate by touching or stroking the clitoris and the labia. Some girls keep their fingers outside the vagina. Others put their fingers inside. Some girls masturbate in their beds, some do it in the shower. You can really do it anywhere and any way. It's up to you and what feels good.

Even though it's small, your clitoris plays a big part in masturbation. It contains a lot of nerve endings that get excited as you touch them. Many girls find that touching and rubbing the clitoris gets them aroused. After a while, all the excitement that builds up in your body gets released in an orgasm. back to top

Is masturbation normal?
Masturbation is normal and common. Over 90% of girls and boys, women and men masturbate at some point in their lives. Even though masturbation is discouraged by some people and some religious traditions, there's no evidence that it's harmful in any way.

Masturbation can often make people feel strange, or like they're doing something shameful, because they have a lot of different beliefs and ideas about it. But you don't have to be ashamed of masturbation. It's a normal and natural way to get to know your body better. back to top

Do girls really masturbate?
Even though boys tend to make a bigger deal of masturbating, girls definitely do it too! back to top

Will something bad happen to me if I masturbate?
You've probably heard lots of rumors that masturbation can make you go blind, or get sick, or grow hair on your palms. You might have even heard that if you masturbate, you're no longer a virgin, or that you're perverted. None of these rumors are true. Nothing bad will happen to you if you masturbate. You're not sick or strange or weird. back to top

Can you masturbate too much?
Usually, there's no way a person can masturbate too much. But, like most things, masturbation should be in balance with all the other things you do in your life. If it starts to interfere with your normal, daily activities, you might want to talk to your health professional about it. back to top