Female masturbation is often degraded through unfounded assumptions and myths to discourage women from pleasuring themselves. Sometimes, women are even made to feel guilty by people who claim that it is an activity for lonely women or a show solely for their partner’s enjoyment.

There’s a lot of judgment surrounding the topic, even when female masturbation is simply a fun and harmless activity.  Cosmopolitan’s survey on orgasms states that most women reach orgasms by masturbating with their fingers or using a sex toy. If you’re still worried and hesitant to pleasure yourself because of certain beliefs, then let us explore some common myths about masturbation and debunk them with the facts, so you can fully enjoy your experience!

 Women masturbate in the same manner

The best part about masturbation is that you’re in control. This means that there are no rules when it comes to which technique or sex toy you want to use to pleasure yourself. Our article on CLIMAX recognises that there are around 17-18 different pleasure techniques and that, amongst all these, women have their personal favourites.

Some choose to use adult sex toys to help them reach their peak and others prefer to rely on their own hands. It’s a total preference and it will depend on who you talk to, but women all masturbate differently and that’s just fine. As long as the end goal is reached and discovery is happening, who CARES how it’s done?

Since masturbation is often done during me time, women often switch it up and try different techniques to find the best way to pleasure themselves. You also have to take into account that people have different sensitivities and like different rhythms. Thus, women’s preferences also vary when it comes to the kind of sex toy they want.

You can contract diseases from masturbation

Masturbation won’t cause infections, as long as you practise good hygiene. Before you touch yourself and go to use your toys, make sure that you have washed your hands.

The National Health Service’s article on sex toys also clarifies that your toys are safe as long as you wash them after each use. Furthermore, sex toys should also be covered using condoms each time they’re used, especially if it has already penetrated your vagina or your butt.

Sex toys can cause nerve damage

It’s understandable to worry about nerve damage, especially since the clitoris is a very sensitive area with more than 8,000 nerve endings! Many women are hesitant to amp up the intensity of their vibrators, in fear of permanently damaging nerves.

You may feel a bit of numbness after an intense orgasm, but your vibrators will never damage your nerves. These sex toys are designed with delicate materials and settings so that it won’t cause injuries in your intimate area. Pretty Me’s guide to vibrators points out that many toys come with different levels of power, intensity, and speed, so try tweaking some settings and see what works for you on different days. It is important to note though that your body can get accustomed to repetition, so you’ll need to change up your position or your technique when you find it difficult to reach orgasm using your favourite routine.

Masturbation causes acne production

Acne is caused when the tiny holes in your skin become clogged from excess oil production and bacteria causing inflammation in the targeted area. It can also be worsened by stress and sleep deprivation, but it can definitely not be caused by masturbation. One of the reasons why this myth may exist is because puberty is a time of sexual exploration. Many girls are starting to learn how to pleasure themselves, coincidentally at the same time when acne flare-ups are most common.

On the other hand, Healthline’s article on masturbation points out that some of its benefits are stress relief and better sleep quality. While masturbation won’t heal your acne, it can lessen some of the factors that make your acne worse.