What is masturbation? Do you masturbate? How does it feel like when you masturbate? Do you know there are side effects? If you conduct an Internet search for “masturbation,” you will find a lot of slang phrases (e.g., hand-shake, hand-job, jacking e.t.c) for the act. This phenomenon of using slang phrases suggests people want to talk about masturbation, but are uncomfortable about doing so openly. Using slangs provides a more socially acceptable way to express themselves.

Why do you masturbate?
Masturbation, or touching one’s own genitals for pleasure, is something that babies do from the time they are in the womb. It’s a natural and normal part of healthy sexual development. According to a survey in the US, 94% of men admit to masturbating, as do 85% of women. But societal perspectives of masturbation still vary greatly, and there’s even some stigma around engaging in the act. Related to this stigma are the many myths about masturbation, myths so ridiculous it’s a wonder anyone believes them.


They include: masturbation causes blindness and insanity; masturbation can make sexual organs fall off; masturbation causes memory loss and hair fall off; and masturbation causes infertility. In actual fact, masturbation has many health benefits.

- For women, masturbation can help prevent cervical infections and urinary tract infections through the process of “tenting,” or the opening of the cervix that occurs as part of the arousal process. Tenting stretches the cervix, and thus the cervical mucous. This enables fluid circulation, allowing cervical fluids full of bacteria to be flushed out.

- Masturbation can lower risk of type-2 diabetes (though this association may also be explained by greater overall health), reduce insomnia through hormonal and tension release, and increase pelvic floor strength through the contractions that happen during orgasm.

- For men, masturbation helps reduce risk of prostate cancer, probably by giving the prostate a chance to flush out potential cancer-causing agents.

Masturbation plays a big role in a normal individual sex life. It prepares us for mature sexual relationships when we reach our adulthood, and it helps us to manage rising hormonal urges and surges when we are at our teenage. Habit of masturbation can enhance mature sexual relationships where two partners use it, either as compliment to each other sexual activity. Many people masturbate when there is a problem in their relationship or when their partners are far away. Masturbation is also performed when one partner in a relationship needs more sexual activity than the other.

Like every other enjoyable activities, when over practice masturbation, it may result to addiction which can lead to both physical and physiological imbalances in the body.

The side effects of such imbalances in the body include:

- Fatigue. Feeling tired all the time
- Low back pain
- Soft or Weak Erection
- Premature Ejaculation
- Fuzzy vision
- Pain in groin or testis.
- cramp in the pelvic cavity and many more.


Over Masturbation can pose serious threat to sexual and overall health. To an extent, the imbalances caused by masturbation rights itself, but when the frequency of masturbation goes beyond the limit that the body can tolerate- its effects are dangerous if left untreated.

The biggest side-effect that can ensue from masturbation is psychological rather than physical, as a person who's fond of it can gradually find masturbation more satisfactory and pleasurable than normal sexual intercourse. A person like this will always seek few moments alone to masturbate, and any slight arousal can make them feel the urge to discharge soon. This kind of situation can increase the chances of low libido (low sexual desire), erectile dysfunction and lack of orgasm during normal sex.

Other problems people who masturbate may face are: weakness in the nervous system; and other general body weakness. Females associated with over masturbation may need cure for: excess vaginal discharge; vaginal dryness and infections; sexual exhaustion; and low libido.

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