There are so many things about it you must have heard about when growing up by so many sources. Some of your older friends must have told you some things about this habit, with a sense of I-know-all-about-it. Or, your parents or some elderly person must have caught you in the act, and then told you some things about it, mostly to dissuade you from the act. Or – the most harmful of them all – you might have read some things about it in some cheap drugstore book. But the real danger is, most of these things are wrong. These are the ways myths about it are perpetrated, for the simple reason that no one knows where to look for clarification.

This article tells of some of the common myths about it, and the facts behind them. The article is mostly targeted at male masturbation, though references to female masturbation are made when relevant.

Myth # 1

'If you masturbate often, you will find the arousal during actual sex difficult.'

This is not true. There is no relation between the two acts, because the stimulation is totally different. When you masturbate, you are arousing yourself by physical touch, but when you have real sex, there is more of a mental game play at work. For this reason, your arousal will not be affected by masturbating frequently. You can in fact use it to your advantage. When you have yet not had a real sexual encounter, it can help you learn what orgasm will actually feel like. There are benefits of it to both men as well as women. In men, it can teach how to prolong the sexual encounter by practicing the hold-and-release technique. This type of masturbation is indeed recommended to men who are suffering from premature ejaculation. Even in women, it can teach orgasm. So, when the time for the real sexual encounter comes, they can produce their orgasm in a better way.

Myth # 2

'Constant masturbation leads to depletion of your semen.'

This myth is usually propagated by authority people who catch young boys masturbating. But, if they knew the biology of semen formation, they would not say so. Sperm is constantly produced in the seminiferous tubules of the testes, and is mixed with seminal fluids from the prostate and Cowper's glands to form the semen. Your reproductive system is constantly replenished with semen throughout life. No amount of it can deplete this quantity.

But, that does not mean you must indulge in OM. Semen depletion will not occur due to masturbation, but there are several other problems that might. Your bio-energy levels of the body could go down. It can also cause several other problems such as thinning of your hair, aging and sexual problems such as PE, impotence, shrinkage of the organ, etc.

Myth # 3

'It will make you homosexual.'

This is certainly baseless. It is perhaps the strongest rumor told to young boys to make them stop masturbating. The theory told to them is, if you touch your male organ too much, you will like to touch it, and so you will become homosexual. But, there is no grain of truth in it.

It does not dictate a person's sexual orientation. There are both homosexual as well as heterosexual men who masturbate. In fact, in some heterosexual couples, the female often gives pleasure to the male by masturbating. The male organ is a very sensitive organ, with several nerve endings in it. Any touch can stimulate it into erection. So, if it is becoming erect by your own touch, it does not mean that you have become homosexual. Also, if you like fondling your own organ, it does not mean you will eventually begin liking fondling other men's penises also. If you can pick your own nose, it does not mean you will start picking other people's noses too! This rumor is as baseless as that.

Myth # 4

'It is only a teenage activity, and it goes when you marry.'

As I have already mentioned, there are many married couples who masturbate most of the time, since penetrative sex can be too tiresome. When the woman is pregnant, the man may masturbate in front of her, or the woman may masturbate the man for his sexual gratification. Also, some men have high libidos. Penetrative sex may not satisfy them fully. In that case, they will be looking out for other possibilities like this. It is by no means an activity that is performed only by youth who are sexually frustrated.

Myth # 5

'It can cause sexually transmitted diseases, even AIDS.'

You may have believed this at some stage in your life, but just think about it. How can a sexually transmitted disease be caused when you are jacking off your own penis? It is strictly not possible. Yes, but if you are masturbating with someone else – homosexual or heterosexual – then there could be a slight chance if the fluids come into contact. Some people indulge in circle jerk sessions, where they masturbate each other in a group (like while watching porn movies). In such sessions there could be a chance of infection if the semen come into contact. Infected sexual toys can also pose some risk. However, if you are playing alone in the bathroom, there is no chance of an STD.

Myth # 6

'Your penis will start malfunctioning if you masturbate too much.'

Strictly speaking, no! Your penis is an organ which has two main functions. Let's keep the urinary function aside. The other important function is ejaculation of semen. Your organ is meant to get aroused and ejaculate at the climax of the act. As long as the organ is concerned, its duty is only to ejaculate semen, and it does not matter where the semen lands up. It could be in your hand, someone's vaginal tract, someone's mouth or even someone's anus. It is not concerned. As such, it will not malfunction if you masturbate. Yes, but there could be problems related to the sexual act that may develop in the long run.

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