Not only is masturbation normal and healthy, but it can have real perks, from improving your sex life to relieving period cramps to helping you sleep. But for whatever reason, many women still don't feel totally comfortable doing it: In a recent national survey published in Plos One, one in five women said they had never engaged in self-stimulation. Ever.
"There are so, so many different benefits of masturbation for women," Los Angeles-based sex therapist Vanessa Marin told Health in a previous interview. But many of her clients feel clueless when it comes to self-love, she says. "These really smart, successful, super-accomplished women would come into my office and say, ‘I’ve never really masturbated, and I feel very embarrassed. I should have figured it out, but I haven’t.’ I saw this over and over again in my practice."
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