G-Spot: Masturbation: Goals and things to consider
Masturbating is, for many of us, a first introduction to sex. It is a great way to love and understand your body and to have healthier and more enjoyable sex with your partner(s). The act of masturbation comes with a sense of curiosity about how our bodies work and what brings us pleasure.
Masturbating has a lot of mental and physical benefits—it can reduce stress, help you get better sleep, improve your body image and decrease muscle and menstrual cramps. Orgasming releases endorphins which block pain and increase your mood, often leaving people feeling less stressed. For many, masturbating is a great way to unwind and allow yourself to be fully connected to your body and your pleasure.
So, how do you better your relationship with masturbating? First, you need to understand that masturbating is a great tool for exploring your body. People in and out of relationships can use masturbation as a way to help them discover what feels best during sex. For people newer to masturbating, start with the goal of finding what parts of your body feel the best when touched, if you feel the need to have a goal at all!
People of all genders have erogenous zones outside of their genital area, which may include the thighs, neck, hands, hips, and much more. These areas are great places to explore when learning about what areas of your body feel best when touched.
For people with vaginas, there are many areas of the vagina to pay attention to while masturbating. First and foremost is the clitoris, a small, hooded, area usually located near the center of the vulva. The clitoris is mainly there for you to feel good, having no reproductive use, and has around 8,000 nerve endings—double the amount that a penis has.
Most AFAB (assigned female at birth) individuals need clitoral stimulation in order to achieve an orgasm, though the manner of this stimulation can vary from person to person. Some women find their clitoris to be incredibly sensitive, and too much attention to the area can cause overstimulation, resulting in an inability to orgasm. Others are less sensitive and find that continuous stimulation can lead them to completion. Some women also can orgasm from penetration and applying pressure to the g-spot, which is located at the frontal wall of the vagina, but this area can be difficult to find.
For people with male genitalia, stimulation to the penis is what most pay attention to. Like women, it is important to focus on the manner of this stimulation—men often find that overstimulation is an issue when trying to orgasm. Penises have around 4,000 nerve endings, making them incredibly sensitive, so when masturbating, the pressure and speed at which a man masturbates can factor a lot into whether they can achieve orgasm. Men can also experience pleasure from touching their scrotum and stimulating their prostate.
For all sexual people, taking the time to learn where, how, and what brings them the most pleasure while masturbating is important. Many people also use porn or sex toys to masturbate, needing the additional visual or stimulation to orgasm.
Not having an orgasm every time you masturbate is completely normal, but using the act to learn new things about your body can help you communicate to current and future partners about what you like best in sex. Sex and masturbation should feel good, and taking the time to discover the different erogenous zones of your body can make your sexual encounters more fun for you and others!
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/sex-pleasure-and-sexual-dysfunction/masturbation
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/sex-pleasure-and-sexual-dysfunction/sex-and-pleasure