Masturbation, or self-pleasuring, is touching and rubbing parts of your body for sexual pleasure, such as the penis, scrotum, clitoris, vulva, breasts and anus. Masturbation can involve a person exploring their own body, but can also happen between two people mutual masturbation. If masturbation is occurring between people mutual masturbation , consent needs to be given and obtained. Masturbation is a common behaviour that is seen at all ages from childhood, through the teen years and throughout adulthood by people of any gender. How frequent people masturbate is different for each person.

Mutual masturbation actually has two definitions: masturbating yourselves together or having hand sex with one another. It can make you feel an exciting — and kind of terrifying — mix of vulnerable and powerful at the same time. As for them, being privy to the peep show and watching you pleasure yourself kicks up the naughty factor by a bazillion. Masturbation is pretty much the safest sex you can have, but when doing it with a partner — virtually or IRL — there are some risks to consider. First, be aware of bodily fluids. If either of you decides to reach over for a feel — with consent!

But last November, after what seemed like decades of both of us ignoring the proverbial elephant in the room, things finally blew up. During a moment of angst and, admittedly, lack of confidence , I got angry and loud. Those last words gave me pause. And during a time in my life when I seemed to be constantly burnt out, anything that would relieve stress sounded appealing. After nearly three years of full-time freelancing, I was constantly exhausted.

Female masturbation is often seen as a taboo subject. Despite research showing that women masturbate as frequently as men, it's still not a topic that all females openly discuss. The Swedes have even created a new term for female masturbation in an attempt to stop women from being put off talking about the topic by the usual male-associated words. We spoke to women about their own experiences of masturbation and got some expert tips on how to make things work for you, including from Strawberry Siren, former Miss Burlesque Australia and the creator of the Pussy Play Masterclass, a workshop on the art of playing with yourself. Understanding the different bits of your body is the first step towards successful stimulation.