Ep. 74 - The Top 12 Masturbation Myths Busted

[00:08] The Top 12 Masturbation Myths Busted

Dr. Bawa: Welcome to America’s number 1 sex podcast Dr. Sex Fairy. I am Dr. Kanwal Bawa, America’s favorite sex doctor and, as always, I am here to transform your life. Our topic for this episode is “The Top 12 Masturbation Myths Busted.” Masturbation is a hot button topic in just about every culture. There is a lot of shame associated with it. There are also many beliefs about it that I want to address today. Make sure you share this episode with your friends to spread the word.

Dr. Bawa: Let's start with some common myths about masturbation.

[00:55] Myth 1: Masturbation Is for Men

Dr. Bawa: 1. Masturbation is for men. Wrong!! Women masturbate almost as much as men do. The studies will shock you. Depending on which data you look at, it appears that about 80-90% of men, and somewhere between 70 and 80% of women masturbate. In some countries, these numbers are even higher. Women have as much of a right to pleasure as men do, and there is no reason why anyone should think that they do not or should not pleasure themselves.

[01:40] Myth 2: Masturbation Causes Erectile Dysfunction

Dr. Bawa: 2. It causes Erectile Dysfunction. This is one of the craziest rumors I have ever heard about masturbation. Erectile dysfunction is the inability to get and maintain an erection hard enough for sex. It is an entire spectrum of erection problems caused by a host of different factors. However, masturbation is not one of them. What may happen is that you may start masturbating in exactly the same way every time and your body gets used to that sensation. It may be your vibrator. It may be a certain level of pressure. It may be a case of always touching yourself at exactly the same spot. In some men, the issue may be that they grip their penis tightly, and the same way when they masturbate, and this may actually desensitize that part of the penis. This is literally called “Death Grip Syndrome.” While these men may find it difficult to orgasm in other circumstances, in no way does masturbation cause erectile dysfunction.

[02:57] Myth 3: Masturbation Reduces Fertility

Dr. Bawa: 3. Masturbation will reduce your fertility. This is incorrect on many levels. If men masturbate frequently, their sperm count may be somewhat lower, but their sperm quality may actually be much better. A study titled “How often should infertile men have intercourse to achieve conception?” looked at 576 men. Some of these men had normal sperm, some had low sperm counts and some had sperm with poor motility… which basically means that this group had enough sperm but they were lousy swimmers.

Dr. Bawa: It found that men who suffer from low sperm quantity or low sperm quality can actually significantly increase their fertility by having intercourse daily or even twice daily when their partner is ovulating.

Dr. Bawa: Another study titled “Relationship between duration of sexual abstinence and semen quality” looked at 9489 semen samples from 6008 men. It advised that men suffering from infertility should not abstain from ejaculation longer than one day for the best quality sperm. It warned that they should not go longer than 4 days of abstinence. As for men with normal sperm, this study said that they can only improve their semen for up to 7 days, and advised that they should not wait longer than ten days.

Dr. Bawa: In general, even in men who have normal sperm counts and good swimmers, sperm that sits around for days on end will not be as likely to impregnate their partner. Stale sperm isn’t good for anyone! As for masturbation reducing fertility in women, we are not even going to dignify this myth with a further discussion because one has nothing to do with the other.

[05:02] Myths 4-6: Too Much, Hairy Palms and Acne

Dr. Bawa: 4. You can masturbate too much. There is no set number of times that you should masturbate in a day or in a week. As long as you are able to have a meaningful existence beyond masturbation, who really cares how often you masturbate? If you are able to have a good relationship with your partner if you have one, if you are able to go to work and perform productively, if you aren't getting in trouble by masturbating in public, it really doesn't matter.

Dr. Bawa: 5. Masturbation will give you hairy palms. This one is so funny to me. Barring a very rare genetic abnormality which causes people to have hairy palms, you are not going to develop hairy palms from something as benign as masturbation.

Dr. Bawa: 6. Masturbation will cause acne. This myth originated from the fact that there can be a small fluctuation in your hormones after masturbation. Remember, you can have a similar fluctuation even after intercourse. Neither is even remotely enough of a fluctuation to cause acne or other skin conditions.

[06:12] Myth 7: Masturbation Can Make You Blind

Dr. Bawa: 7. Masturbation can make you blind. No, masturbation will not make you blind. In rare cases increased pressure during sexual activity can cause a small benign hemorrhage in the eye called Valsalva retinopathy. This resolves spontaneously without requiring any medical intervention. That said, if you do experience this very rare condition, do consult a medical doctor immediately.

[06:51] Myth 8: People in Relationships Should Not Masturbate

Dr. Bawa: 8. People in relationships should not masturbate. Nothing could be further from the truth. Masturbation will actually help you connect with yourself and your partner. You see, if you masturbate and find what gives you pleasure, you can communicate that to your partner so that partnered sex becomes more pleasurable and fulfilling for both of you. Moreover, some couples really enjoy masturbating together. It is also a great way to keep the spark alive in long distance relationships.

[07:37] Myth 9: Masturbation Causes a Woman to Lose Her Virginity

Dr. Bawa: 9. A woman will lose her virginity by masturbating. A virgin is traditionally thought of as a person who has never had sex. In women, virginity is considered inextricably linked with the hymen by cultures all over the world. The hymen is a thin and stretchy tissue that surrounds the opening of the vagina. It doesn’t cover it. People think that if the hymen is stretched out it means that the woman has definitely had vaginal intercourse.

Dr. Bawa: Studies have shown that in some women the hymen is intact despite vaginal penetration. Some people are born with a thin and stretchy hymen, and others are born with a thick one. A hymen can be thinned out or broken by horse riding, cycling and other kinds of exercise. A hymen can even be thinned out due to hormonal fluctuations and age. This may sound crazy but it is true. Some sex toys are not going to affect the hymen at all because they are external. Internal sex toys may or may not affect the hymen. And this brings me to my belief that the concept of virginity is really subjective, and the dependence on the hymen as the deciding factor is misguided. Needless to say, a woman will not lose her virginity by masturbating.

[09:02] Myth 10: Masturbation Will Deform Your Penis or Vagina

Dr. Bawa: 10. Masturbation will deform your penis or vagina. If a man masturbates aggressively, there is a slight chance that he might injure his penis. It is not masturbation in and of itself that causes a deformity, and it is certainly not due to how frequently you do it. Peyronie's Disease is a bent penis due to the buildup of scar tissue. While the exact cause of Peyronie's Disease is unknown, it is considered to be caused by an injury. Normal masturbation is simply not going to cause this. If a man masturbates too aggressively and injures himself, or if he injures himself during sex, it can lead to a fractured penis, which may or may not lead to Peyronie’s. As for masturbation in a woman, I don't see how it could possibly deform the vagina.

[10:05] Myth 11: Your Partner Can Tell If You Masturbate

Dr. Bawa: 11. Your partner can tell if you masturbate. While it is best to be honest with your partner, if you choose to keep this private, your partner will never know. There is really nothing more to say.

[10:25] Myth 12: Semen Retention Preserves Energy and Life Force

Dr. Bawa: 12. Semen retention will preserve your energy and life force. This is a very popular concept among online forums like Reddit and some tantric practitioners. No Nut November is an online movement that originated through Reddit that recommends that people not masturbate or have intercourse for the entire month of November to avoid ejaculating. One of the many purported benefits of abstaining from ejaculation is supposed to be increased Testosterone levels. If there is any reliable data on this from reputable sources, I have yet to see it. To the people who say that semen retention is healthy, I say that scientific data has proven that ejaculating 21 or more times per month may actually lower the risk of prostate cancer.

[11:18] Taking the Shame Out of Masturbation

Dr. Bawa: This is what it really comes down to, folks. Masturbation has been considered dirty and shameful in many cultures for a very long time. Many of these myths are meant to scare people off masturbation. It is more about control than anything. Some religions and cultures are more sex positive than others. Some will vilify you for masturbating.

Dr. Bawa: I hope that this episode has helped you realize that masturbation is not a bad thing. In fact, there are so many benefits to masturbation that I will be devoting an entire episode to them. Make sure you subscribe to the Dr. Sex Fairy Podcast so that you don't miss that important episode.

Dr. Bawa: I am currently developing a masturbator that will give you pleasure and promote better sexual health. If you have questions about the masturbator, or anything else, or if you want to see me as a patient for your own sexual wellness and transformation, contact me through my website drsexfairy.com.

Dr. Bawa: Until next time.