Do you think about sex often? Be honest. It’s completely normal for you to want to have sex (or not!) and it’s also normal, not to mention common, to please yourself from time to time. Masturbation is a healthy part of life and, while we know it isn’t exactly a conversation starter at cocktail parties, we do get a lot of questions about it on Hello Doctor. Here are some answers:
So, Is It Bad for You?
Guess what: it’s not bad for you at all! In fact, it might even help you out by relieving some unwanted sexual tension. So what’s with the all the worry? Well, many men feel that they are addicted to it and believe their ‘overuse’ may affect their fertility. Have you ever wondered about that before? Another worry is that it will have a bad impact on their privates. Rest assured, nothing will happen to your penis – although you could hurt your genitals if you play too roughly. Ladies, masturbation for you is completely safe too and helps you to know your body better (this helps with your sexual relationships as you will be able to guide your partner to what you enjoy).
Can You Do It Too Much?
The next thing that might cross your mind is “How much is too much?” This isn’t an easy question to answer, but there is no real limit. This one is for the guys: if you do it quite often- more than a couple of times a day- then your sperm count will decrease over time. Don’t worry, this is not permanent and doesn’t mean you’re infertile- after a short break your count will be back up again.. If you’re trying for a baby, and struggling, then it might be that you are masturbating too much and depleting your sperm count, so you might want to stop for a while.
If it becomes compulsive, and you do the deed while you’re at work or out shopping, then it’s time for you to address it. The rule is that when something begins to interfere with your ability to do normal tasks i.e., interfering with sleep, work and social interaction – then it’s a problem
If you feel like you have a problem the best way to approach this is to speak to a therapist or your GP – they are non-judgemental and everything that is spoken about is strictly confidential.
So there you have it. Unless it starts to mess with your day-to-day life, masturbation is totally normal and shouldn’t affect your health or your fertility. The added bonus is that is completely safe- you will not catch any STD’s or fall pregnant while masturbating!
Source: WebMD