The Dangers of Masturbation

THERE is a secretive sexual practice common to both men and women, as well as young people, and it is known as masturbation.

Something of a shocker really, don't you think?

The whole thing reads as if the Victorian attitudes to self-abuse were still extant (although thankfully they don't mention one proposed solution of that time, clitorectomy. They do mention amputation of the penis for habituals though, similarly a rather extreme response one might think.).

There's one woman who actually makes sense:

Howeover, some people who spoke with Your Health do not see anything bad in masturbation. Many of them believe that masturbation is a normal sexual behaviour which almost everybody engages in. A medical doctor who will not want her name mentioned stated that for many people, masturbation remains a taboo subject and a practice that is still regarded as perverse or immoral. “Some medical practitioners and psychologists had condemned masturbation as destructive to mental health, even recommending amputation of the penis as a way to cure the habit in compulsive males. But today, many medical experts are beginning to change their belief.



"But for me, there is no ill-effect attached to masturbation. There is nothing wrong in it. It is not against the law, it is not immoral. It is perfectly a normal healthy thing done by 98 per cent of men, but the other two per cent are liars, who will not want to say the truth, but yet practise it,” she stated.

Bring on today and that change in belief I say. The end of the article seems to slip back a little:

Nonetheless, other dangers of masturbation as spelt out by medical experts include psychological guilt. A chance masturbator stands the risk of nervous-depressing permanent insanity, premature death, especially for those with high blood pressure, diabetes, blood diseases, inability to perform sexual act naturally, etc. Other dangers attached to masturbation sexes include inability to pull out of the act. It has even been documented to cause more deaths among boys in Europe than any plaque or war. Masturbation also results in total loss of sexual feelings and desire due to lack of sensation when it is time to actually engage in legitimate sexual intercourse. Quick, early or premature ejaculation is also one of the rewards of regular masturbation.

In girls, the breast development is arrested or retarded and the individual also stands the risk of experiencing spinal irritation resulting from epilepsy as a result of loss of seminal fluid in a male.

D'ye think we should send over some of President Bush's sex educators? Even informed abstinence has to be better than this.

Female Orgasm

For those of you who have had the pleasure of having an orgasm (pun intended), you know that it is a sweet and satisfying sensation like no other. All women are different - some are quick to orgasm, while others need to be warmed up for quite a while. When it happens though, your entire body and soul feels utterly amazing.

So do you ever wonder what exactly is happening when you are about to reach your climax? Here's the deal:
* Once a woman becomes sexually aroused, her heart begins to beat quicker, and she breathes faster. She'll tighten various muscles all over her body. Her breasts will enlarge slightly and her nipples will become erect. Some women's faces, necks or chests will become flushed. Also, her clitoris enlarges.
* She'll notice that her vagina will have created a natural lubricant that will make sex much more enjoyable (if you're too dry, sex can really hurt).
* Her labia (lips) will flatten out and open up. Inside, her vagina will lengthen and widen (preparing for you know what). All this happens because blood rushes to the pelvic area - called engorgement - and creates a pleasurably warm sensation in that area (you know what I'm talking about).

We're just getting started. Want to find out what happens next? Then read more

* As arousal continues, everything becomes even more enlarged and all the changes mentioned above become more pronounced. Yet the woman's clitoris actually retracts under the hood and gets 50% shorter right before she climaxes.
* When the woman reaches orgasm, her skin will flush and muscles all over her body will continue to contract. Blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rates will continue to rise.
* In the vagina itself, she'll feel rhythmic contractions in the outer part of the vagina, in her uterus and anus. These intense pulses happen about once ever second. Mild orgasms have 3-5 pulses, and intense orgasms have 10-15. Wow!

Did you Know? The muscle contractions you feel in your uterus when you have an orgasm actually have a purpose - they help to suck semen higher up into the vagina, making it easier for sperm to swim to your egg and help you get pregnant!

What Happens: Before, During & After Sex

It would perhaps be stating the obvious to state that it is sensual pleasure primarily that propels a human being into having sex. It would be worthwhile here, to note the changes that take place in both men and women before, during and after sexual intercourse. These include changes in the genitals as well as other parts of the body. In both sexes, the cycle of sexual response could be divided into four phases to ensure safe and effective intercourse, and one that could lead to the fertilization of the egg (ovum). They are as follows:

Excitement Phase
Duration
It could vary from just a few minutes to hours on end, depending on the techniques adopted, and other external factors such as lack of distraction.
In males
When in a state of arousal, blood is pumped into three cylinder–shaped bundles of spongy tissues in the penis. This makes the penis stiff and erect, thereby making it stand erect at an angle. The scrotal sac is then elevated slightly owing to its muscular contractions, thereby bringing the testes upwards.
In females
The vaginal walls stretch and secrete a lubricating fluid. The uterus (womb) rises in the pelvis. The labia majora (outer vaginal lips) open up slightly. The labia minora (inner vaginal lips) thicken. The clitoris grows in size, swells and stiffens.

Plateau Phase
Duration of the phase
The plateau phase is usually as brief as it is intense.
In males
The penis grows slightly larger. The head of the penis (glans penis) becomes reddish and shiny. A few drops of a sticky fluid (mucus) emerges from the opening at the tip (meatus). The testes are drawn up even further.
In females
The outer portion of the vagina swells with more blood flowing into it. The swollen outer vagina and labia minora (inner lips) form a long elevation known as an orgasmic platform. The clitoris hides behind its hood.
Orgasmic Phase
Duration of the phase
The orgasmic phase is the shortest. It lasts for merely a few seconds.
In males
A series of involuntary rhythmic contractions in the testes and the penis force out semen from the penis in quick spurts. This renders the male great sexual pleasure. This process of expulsion of semen from the penis is known as ejaculation.
In females
The orgasmic platform contracts rhythmically anything between three to 15 times at short intervals of about 0.8 seconds. These rhythmic contractions of the orgasmic platform along with structures in the pelvis provide the female intense sexual pleasure.

Resolution Phase
Duration of the phase
Just about 10 seconds, that’s all.
In males
This phase goes through two stages. In the first stage, the penis shrinks to half its fully erect size. In the second, it returns to its normal flaccid size from the semi–erect stage. The second stage takes a little longer than the first. As the penis shrinks, the scrotum becomes loose and the testes descend.
In females
About 10 seconds after vaginal contractions, the clitoris returns to its normal position. The whole vagina returns to its normal color, size and position in about 15 minutes. The uterus slowly regains its normal position which happens in about 20 minutes. The inner and outer lips of the vagina revert to their original color and size too.

Changes in other parts of the body
Reddish spots called sex flush appear on the abdomen, throat and breasts. These go away about five minutes after orgasm. Muscular tension takes place, causing the nipples to become erect, the thighs become tense, the back becomes arched, the nostrils get flared etc. All this fades away within five minutes after orgasm. A thin film of perspiration often covers the whole body after orgasm. The heart rate, breathing and blood pressure, all rise in both sexes during the excitement, plateau and orgasmic phases. These return to normal soon after orgasm.