I’m Dr. Eric, urologic surgeon and men’s health expert. Let’s talk about masturbation. We’ll cover some of the common myths surrounding masturbation, as well as why it may be good for and why it may not be. Myth #1 It’s a guy thing. It’s not. While 90% of men report masturbating on a regular basis, so do 70% of women. There’s good reason for this. Masturbation, of course, can produce pleasure, but has also been reported to improve mood, sleep, focus, stress levels, and concentration. It can even improve self-esteem and body image. The hormones, including dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, released during orgasm are what produce these effects. Myth #2 People in relationships don’t masturbate As we just talked about, this simply isn’t true. People masturbate when they’re single or when they’re in relationships. Some masturbate separately, some together. Either way, masturbation within a relationship doesn’t reflect on the happiness within that relationship. Myth #3 It causes erectile dysfunction Masturbation does not cause erectile dysfunction. It is important, though, to recognize that it can impact your sexual performance in a few ways. There is something called erectile latency, which is basically the amount of time it takes from sexual completion to your body’s ability to achieve another erection. This amount of time increases with age, so it’s possible if you masturbate too close in time to a sexual encounter that you may have difficulty getting an erection. The other way masturbation can impact erectile function is if you masturbate in a way that decreasing your sexual pleasure from a typical sexual encounter. What I mean by this is that if your technique of masturbation is unusual then you may not get a similar sensation when with a partner. You might then find that you’re less aroused with a partner as a result. Myth #4 It’s not a normal part of sexual development A study published in 2011 revealed that between the ages of 14 and 17 74% of boys and 48% of girls masturbate. It’s totally healthy for people of all ages to masturbate. And most importantly it’s safe, helps you better understand your body and sexual desires, and avoids unwanted pregnancies and spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Myth #5 You can masturbate too much When done in a healthy way, there really is no such thing as too much masturbation. It’s only a problem when it becomes a compulsive act that disrupts relationships. Or if it starts to replace real-life experiences or gets in the way of your daily activities. If that happens you should cut back and may benefit from therapy. Myth #6 Masturbation will make you blind Obviously and categorically this is false. Otherwise 90% of men would be blind. And 70% of women. This myth stems from religious conservative views that sex and sexual pleasure is strictly for having children. This, of course, is not true. The Truth Masturbation is a healthy way to relieve sexual tension and have a pleasurable experience. There are no health risks to masturbation. There can even been benefits such as we discussed before. There’s even evidence that masturbation can help to reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men! Hopefully this video has helped you better understand the truth around masturbation and that it is a normal and healthy part of life. Please click the subscribe button to stay up to date on my health videos, and leave any questions in the comments section below.