Masturbation

Masturbation is the act of sexually arousing oneself or, in some contexts, sexually arousing a sex partner.

Benefits
Although often stigmatized, especially among women, masturbation is actually known to provide myriad benefits to those who engage in it ranging from emotional stability to physiological health.

Ways people masturbate
Although there is no single way that individuals obtain sexual pleasure, human anatomy is consistent enough to offer a basic blueprint for the ways in which people masturbate.

Female-bodied people
For the majority of female-bodied people, including women and pre-operative transsexual men, the most sexually pleasurable part of their body is called the clitoris, which is a small bundle of nerves that sits slightly above their vaginal opening. The clitoris, along with the vulva, perineum, vagina, thighs, anus, breasts, and other sites can all be erogenous zones that can be stimulated to provide women with sexual excitement.

Women masturbate in a number of ways, and not all women prefer to stimulate all of these body parts when they masturbate or when they have their partners masturbate them. According to Scarleteen, some of the ways women masturbate include:


 * massaging the clitoral shaft or hood, labia or mons with hands (either whole hands or with fingers, knuckles or palms with varying kinds of speed, pressure or movement) or an object
 * rubbing or rocking the vulva up against objects (like a pillow, the edge of a chair or the edge of the bed)
 * inserting fingers or sex toys into the vagina or anus, often paired with clitorial stimulation
 * using a vibrator or other toys to stimulate the clitoris, labia, thighs, perineum, rectum or other sites
 * using a faucet or showerhead for clitoral stimulation
 * sitting on large vibrating objects, like a washing machine
 * pressing and unpressing the thighs tightly together

Mutual masturbation
This is the act of two or more people sexually stimulating themselves or each other. It can be used as an alternative to penetrative sex or as a method of foreplay. Mutual masturbation can be done in various ways, some involving physical contact between participants and some involving participants masturbating in each others presence but not touching each other

Stigma
Despite research suggesting that masturbation is a healthy practice it has often been subject to social and religious stigma. The views of religions on masturbation vary from completely disapproving of it to encouraging it. In 1994 researchers found that half of the adult men and women that masturbate feel guilty about it. It is likely that this number has since dropped however.