A recent study has explored how masturbation during teenage years can affect women’s sexual experiences later in life.
Reflecting on my own teenage years, I remember becoming quite familiar with my body as a boy entering puberty. I assumed girls experienced something similar. However, new research indicates that not all women explored their bodies in the same way during adolescence.
The study, titled “‘Ménage À Moi’: An Analysis of Factors Associated with Masturbation Among Women,” found that one in 24 women did not engage in masturbation during their teenage years.
Researchers Daniela Henriques, Pedro Alexandre Costa, and Ana Carvalheira from Portugal conducted an online survey to examine whether the familiarity with one’s own anatomy during adolescence influences sexual experiences in adulthood.
Out of 469 cisgender adult women, aged between 18 and 78 with a median age of 27, about 96% reported having masturbated at some point, with the average starting age being 14.1 years.
Approximately three-quarters of these women had an average or low understanding of female genitalia. The most frequent rate of masturbation was once a week, a pattern reported by one in four women.
The study discovered a correlation between masturbation during teenage years and the frequency of orgasms experienced during sexual activities in adulthood.
Women who frequently masturbated as teenagers reported more orgasms during sex with partners later in life, particularly during vaginal penetration.
The researchers suggest that adolescent masturbation helps women become more acquainted with their bodies, allowing them to better communicate their preferences to partners, facilitating climax.
The study also noted that women from urban areas reported higher frequencies of masturbation compared to those from rural areas.
The researchers propose that urban environments might offer more privacy, and urban teens may be exposed to more progressive views on sexuality than their rural counterparts.
The study concludes by stating, “These results emphasize the importance of considering multiple factors in the understanding of masturbation, thus aiding in its destigmatization and intervention.”