Regular masturbation tied to better sexual function in women

Young women who frequently masturbate appear to have better sexual function as well as higher sexual literacy, according to a study.

Overall, 921 young women in western Turkey participated in this cross-sectional descriptive study conducted between March and December 2023. Participants were enrolled using the snowball method.

The authors obtained data from an online platform and analysed these with SPSS (version 24). The data included attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours regarding masturbation, sexual life, and sexual health literacy. Difference, correlation, and regression analyses were then carried out.

Participants were young Muslim women (mean age 21 years). Masturbation frequency was 5.06 times per month, and duration was 3.47 minutes per day.

Masturbation frequency and duration both significantly correlated with sexual health literacy and sexual function (p<0.001). Regression analysis revealed increased sexual function and better health literacy among women with greater masturbation frequency and duration (p<0.001).

“This study presents results on the current situation regarding the sexual health literacy and sexual lives in women from different geographies and cultures, and it serves as a source for future studies on areas that need to be improved,” the authors said.

The study was limited by the inclusion of only Muslim and Turkish women who use smartphones and are sexually active. Thus, the results cannot be generalized to all women, according to the authors.