Though it may be stereotyped as "a guy thing," and though many women would probably minimize the frequency or even lie about it altogether - yes - women do in fact masturbate. Now granted, there are some women who have not, would not, will not masturbate - but it is not necessarily the rare phenomenon that society tends to portray it as. Learn more about the mythical occurrence known as female masturbation, the hidden risks of masturbation for both genders, and how a man can protect himself and keep the penis healthy.

So, chicks do it too?

Yup, a guy who has thus far lived in a world where he believed women do not masturbate should just allow this information to sink in for a moment before continuing. The fact of the matter is, women are sexual creatures (just like men), they have sexual needs (just like men), they have times when they are single (just like men), and they engage in the art of self-pleasure when they are single as well as in a relationship (just like men). The biggest difference seems to be that women are more likely to feel shame or embarrassment about masturbation - possibly from societal stereotypes or upbringings that suggested it was unclean - so they may not talk about it or advertise their masturbation habits as freely to others as men tend to.

The business of female masturbation

Any man who has ever walked into an adult sex shop knows that there are probably 2-3 times as many products geared towards the female orgasm than the male orgasm. There is every manner of battery-operated items to help a woman find her peak of pleasure, compared to only a handful of similar items for men. There is also porn that is specifically tailored to women - which tends to have more of a fantasy story line to it, rather than a bunch of "eye-candy" that seems to be what gets men going. So obviously, even if the rest of the world hasn’t figured it out yet, the adult entertainment gurus are aware that women have sex and masturbate…and they like it!

The hidden risks of masturbation

No, if a woman masturbates, she doesn’t go blind - any more than a man gets hairy palms. But there is a real risk that masturbation entails which women may be slightly more prone to than men, and that is desensitization. Women who love those battery-operated toys may be setting themselves up for disappointment when they are in the bedroom with their non-battery powered man. That is because the vibrations tend to be so intense from toys that it can actually desensitize her lady bits to a more gentle, less vibrating touch of a man. Bummer. Men can actually do the same thing to themselves by using an excessively tight grip, or too much speed or torque -- they can create sensations that a woman cannot replicate by her hand - or other body parts for that matter. So perhaps the biggest danger of masturbation for a man or woman, in fact, is that they will like it too much and therefore overindulge and make regular sex less pleasurable. Have no fear, however; if the person who overdid it takes a break for a while, the sensations should return to normal after a bit of a break from whatever it was that caused the desensitization.

Additional support for penis health

Men who are regularly masturbating need to be sure to keep the penis hydrated and healthy as excessive masturbation can not only lead to desensitization, it can also caused chafing and dry, sore skin. Applying a penis vitamin formula (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil) containing vitamin E and Shea butter can help hydrate chafed skin caused by too much friction and return it to its more healthy state. Additionally, using a nice, high-quality lubricant can help keep chafing at bay as well.