Masturbation during your period helps reduce menstrual pain

Menstruation is often uncomfortable, annoying and painful. They are accompanied by a whole series of unwanted symptoms; from nausea to headache to, most commonly, cramps.

Dysmenorrhea, the medical term for painful menstruation, is the result of “the normal inflammatory process that occurs following ovulation, the release of a mature egg from the ovary,” explains Dr Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Office of Clue, app for monitoring your cycle. This process is typically associated with the contractions of the uterus that occur every month when, of course, there has been no fertilization. Such contractions are more commonly called menstrual cramps, and are felt just above the pubic bone, in the upper and inner thighs and in the back.

When we suffer from these pains on period days, the only acts of self-love we want to give ourselves are wearing comfortable pants and sitting on the sofa watching Netflix with a giant tub of ice cream.

But beware beware, there may be another (much more pleasant) way to reduce menstrual pain. In fact, new research has shown that masturbation during periods could be as effective as a pain reliever.

RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH

Glasses, menstrual cup brand, e Womanizer, a brand that sells sex toys, have collaborated for a common all-female goal. Together they launched the Menstrubation Study, a global clinical study to determine whether masturbation can help relieve menstrual pain and, if so, to what extent. The study was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Christopher Ryan Jones, clinical psychologist and sex therapist, who reviewed and validated the results.

During the months of research, the 486 participants were asked to give up the traditional methods they used to reduce menstrual pain in favor of masturbation instead. At the end of the path, 90% of the participants said they would recommend masturbation to their friends to relieve pain during their period and 85% decided to continue using this method against menstrual cramps. This because the 70% of them said that regular masturbation had a positive impact on menstrual pain. Of this 70%, a whopping 93% said that masturbation reduces the intensity of pain by “at least a little”. Regarding the frequency of cramps and other discomfort, 42% of women said that regular masturbation reduced the frequency of pain over the months.

With the research concluded, Dr. Jones explained: “Through this study we were able to empirically demonstrate that regular masturbation is an effective method of managing menstrual pain. These findings are significant for physicians who are educating their clients on the health benefits of masturbation, for physicians who work with individuals seeking non-drug pain management, and for people with vulva suffering from menstrual disorders.

THE BENEFITS OF MASTURBATION DURING THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE

Masturbation and menstruation (or “menstrubation”As the British say) are unfortunately still taboo topics. People are often horrified when they hear the word “period”, “menstruation” or “blood”, but are even more disturbed when it comes to “masturbation”. It is clear that not everyone likes to discuss these topics openly, but it is also important to know that masturbating and having periods are two completely normal things that are part of the course of life.

The lack of open and unprejudiced discourse on female masturbation can affect people, who are consequently ashamed to do so. But let’s get things straight: masturbation is completely safe and normal (as long as you are not harming yourself or others in the process). Just as there is nothing of “dirty” in menstrual blood.

And contrary to what the taboos say, we have just seen that there are advantages to resorting to auto-eroticism during your period days.

During and after orgasm, certain hormones are released which have a positive impact on the body. These hormones are endorphins, oxytocin and dopamine. The endorphins they have a direct impact on the perception and processing of pain, and are capable of alleviating it. This is very useful for all those suffering from abdominal cramps during menstruation. L’oxytocin reduces cortisol, the stress hormone, which has a relaxing effect capable of decreasing tension and possible migraines. Finally, the dopamine causes a feeling of euphoria, happiness and inner bliss. As a result, once these substances are released into the body, our brain focuses on that personal pleasure and can even forget aches and pains.

And if you’re still not convinced, here’s the icing on the cake. Doctor Sonia Bahlani, author of the book The Holistic Guide to Navigating Pelvic Pain she explained that during the days of her period “there is an increase in blood flow to the genitals, even to the clitoris. This leads to greater sensitivity and also greater pleasure ».

HOW TO MASTURBATE DURING THE CYCLE

There is no right or wrong way to masturbate (whether it’s during your period days or not), since everyone has their own preferences, their own desires and even their own limitations. Some people may prefer to masturbate in a way that requires little cleaning in the end. In this case, Dr. Bahlani recommends using a tampon or menstrual cup and focusing on the clitoral stimulation instead of vaginal. In doing so it may be useful to resort to the use of a lubricant, as the tampon or menstrual cup could absorb liquids that facilitate the process of autoeroticism.

Those who prefer penetration, on the other hand, can move in the shower or bathtub: the water will wash away the blood thus facilitating the final cleaning. In this case, if you use sex toys, make sure they are waterproof before taking them with you in the shower.