What is masturbation ?
Masturbation is self-stimulation of the genitals for sexual pleasure.It involves gentle rubbing of the sexual organs by hands or other devices . It is a common practice particularly during the period of adolescence.

Do girls masturbate?
Yes . However , research indicates that more boys than girls masturbate .

What is the appropriate number of times for masturbating ?
Masturbation is self-limiting. One will stop masturbating if he or she feels tension has been relieved or if he/she feels tired after doing it . It is completely dependent upon the individual the number of times he/she wants to masturbate .

There is no physical or mental harm caused by frequent masturbation. However , masturbation becomes harmful if one is obsessed with it and it becomes a compulsive behavior .

Is masturbation harmful ?
As in ordinary lovemaking , the only after-effect of masturbation is a feeling of sexual relief and relaxation . It is not true that masturbation can cause mental illness,blindness or impotency. These myths may be partly due to centuries of religious and cultural beliefs that view masturbation as a sinful and harmful. Masturbation is a normal part of growing up and one should not feel guilty or ashamed about it .

Will masturbation have an effect on sexual intercourse in marriage in later life ?
Not necessarily, if it is not performed habitually.A person can gain equal satisfication through sexual intercourse with the spouse. Therefore there should not be any effect on sexual intercourse in marriage .

However, masturbation may be a symptom of a problem when it is performed compulsively or when one cannot resist doing it to relieve psychological or sexual tension, and when one prefers masturbation to having normal sexual relationship . It is advised to seek profesiional help if one masturbates compulsively , especially during the adult life .

Is it okay not to masturbate ?
It is prefectly all right . Much has been said and written in favour of masturbation in the last few years merely to counteract centuries of mis-information and guilt . No harm will come to a person who chooses not to masturbate .