How often should you really be masturbating? Doctors give their verdict trends now
Masturbation is still very much a taboo topic — so it can be tricky to work out whether you're doing it too much or too little.
In recent years, there has been an idea that access to pornography has led to too much masturbation, causing a wave of sexual problems and warped views of sex.
But DailyMail.com reported on a study last week which suggested abstaining from pleasuring yourself is also bad — and could raise the risk of anxiety, depression and erectile dysfunction.
We asked three health experts about the exact number of times men and women should aim to masturbate each week, with very surprising results:
Men should masturbate from seven to 21 times a month, scientists suggested. For women, the estimation was at least once a week is best and that masturbating during the menstrual cycle could help to relieve pain (stock image)
Dr Yvonne Fulbright, a sex expert in Iceland, said that women should look to masturbate for nine days over the menstrual cycle to help ease cramps. Dr Ian Kerner, a sex therapist and bestselling author, previously told DailyMail.com that it was fine to use pornography, but urged people to pay for the use
Dr Peter Kanaris, a sex therapist on Long Island, recommends women aim to masturbate or have sex at least once a week.
'I would say that if a person is inclined and able to be active weekly that is beneficial, whether that is via masturbation or via involvement with a partner,' he said.
Dr Yvonne Fulbright, a sex expert based in Iceland, to DailyMail.com that women should look to masturbate frequently around their menstrual cycle for pain relief.
'With managing one's pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) and menstruation woes like pain, one would want to self-pleasure more than once per month,' she said.
'PMS often starts five days before bleeding begins and goes away within four days of it starting.
'So it could be beneficial to masturbate on each of those days.'
Masturbating raises blood flow to the pelvic area, which helps to relieve pain. The method can also be used to ease other ailments like back pain, she said.
A 2020 study from University College London suggested that masturbating once a week in your 40s can help to delay menopause.
Researchers tracked 2,936 women aged 45 years for a decade and found that those who engaged in sexual activity at least once a week were 28 percent less likely to have entered the menopause by the end of the study compared to women who masturbated less than once a month.
The scientists behind the study suggested that when women do not have sex or masturbate, the body 'chooses' not to invest in ovulation, triggering menopause.
Dr Rena Malik, the director of female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery at the University of Maryland, told DailyMail.com that it was important for women to choose a frequency of masturbation that they were comfortable with.
'There is no right or wrong amount,' she said. 'If you are masturbating, as long as it is not interfering with your daily life and spending time with partner or friends, then it is fine.'
She said that after
