From masturbation to sex play to intercourse with your partner, expressing yourself sexually benefits both your body and mind. Recent studies have revealed that being sexual can have positive health benefits including longevity, lower incidence of heart disease and cancer, alleviation of pain and stress, and personal happiness. In addition, studies have revealed that sexual arousal and masturbation not only improve individual sexual satisfaction but improve relationship satisfaction as well.

I. Sexual Activity & Masturbation

During the mid-19 th century, there was a huge market for devices and medication to control masturbation including erection alarms, penis cases, sleeping mitts, and bed cradles to keep the sheets off genitals. The dangers from excessive masturbation were believed to be insanity, nervous disorders, hair growth on the palms, and damaged eyesight—at least for men. During this same period, some physicians concluded that hysteria among women was caused by sexual deprivation. As treatment, they would stimulate a woman to have an orgasm in the doctor’s office. In fact, vibrators were invented so that women could “treat” themselves at home.

While masturbation may have been seen as a disease in the 19 th century, in the 20 th century it’s a cure. The Declaration of Sexual Rights adopted by the World Congress of Sexology in 1994 includes the right to sexual pleasure and more specifically masturbation: “sexual pleasure, including autoeroticism, is a source of physical, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual well-being.”

Prostate Cancer

According to recent research, men could reduce their chances of developing prostate cancer through regular masturbation. Australian researchers found that when comparing the sexual habits of men with and without prostate cancer, those who had ejaculated the most between the ages of 20 and 50 were the least likely to develop cancer. Men who ejaculated more than five times a week were a third less likely to develop prostate cancer later in life. The protective effect is greatest while men are in their 20s.

It is believed that frequent ejaculation prevents carcinogens from building up around the prostate gland. The prostate is responsible for secreting the bulk of the fluid in semen which is rich in potassium, zinc, fructose, and citric acid. In order to generate this fluid, the body concentrates these compounds from the bloodstream up to 600-fold, and this is where the risk of cancer begins. Animal studies have shown that carcinogens such as 3-methylachloranthrene, found in cigarette smoke, are also concentrated in the prostate. Fewer ejaculations may mean that carcinogens build up. The more you flush the ducts out, the less there is to hang around and damage your cells. In addition, ejaculation may induce prostate glands to fully mature, making them less susceptible to cancer-causing substances.

Breast Cancer

The medicinal value of achieving orgasm in the fight against cancer applies equally to women. Studies suggest that sexual expression may lead to a decreased risk of cancer because of the increase in the levels of oxytocin and DHEA, which is associated with arousal and orgasm in men and women. In a 1989 study, researchers found that frequency of sexual expression was correlated with reduced incidence of breast cancer among women who never had a child. There is an inverse relationship between the frequency of orgasm during adulthood and the incidence of breast cancer. Therefore, a higher risk of breast cancer was correlated with lack of sexual expression.

General Well-Being

In addition to the protective effects sexual release has against cancer, research has shown that sexual activity and orgasm may bolster immunity. When researchers examined immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels (IgA is essential to the immune system’s response to viral infection) of college students, they found that those students who engaged in sexual activity once or twice a week had IgA levels 30% higher than those who were abstinent.

Not only can sexual activity boost immunity, but sexual release can help people go to sleep. Orgasm causes a surge in oxtyocin and endorphins that my act as sedatives. In fact, 32% of US women reported masturbating in the previous three months to help them go to sleep. More importantly, women and men have long reported that sexual activity relieves chronic pain. Studies have long demonstrated the alleviation of pain through genital stimulation. Women in chronic pain who experienced vaginal and clitoral stimulation reported an increased threshold of pain detection and tolerance. Additional research found that pressure stimulation of the anterior vaginal wall and pleasurable self-stimulation of the clitoris also had an analgesic effect.

Post-Cancer Recovery

Finally, women who have received cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, have been advised by their doctors to masturbate as part of their recovery process. A woman’s ability to reach orgasm is usually unchanged after cancer. However, cancer treatments to a woman’s genital areas will render the tissues tight and devoid of fat cushioning and may result in vaginal dryness, prolapse of the vaginal walls, or vaginal shortening. The touching and kissing that often happens before penetration and masturbation can help build up the genital tissue, relieve vaginal dryness, and improve a woman’s ability to orgasm. Many women find that masturbation, to see whether orgasm is still possible, helps improve their sexual intactness. Sexual arousal and orgasm can increase the levels of endorphins and corticosteroids that raise pain thresholds, easing discomforts associated with cancer treatments. Therefore, women are advised to explore reaching orgasm without penetration and consider using an electric vibrator to give them the extra stimulation they may need to reach orgasm.

Personal Happiness

Recent studies have revealed that both women and men found that masturbation was associated with a decreased risk of depression. Sexual activity has been shown to reduce stress due to the surge of oxytocin that accompanies orgasm. Oxytocin stimulates feelings of warmth and relaxation with 39% of US women who report masturbating doing so to relax. In addition, there is a correlation between masturbation and self-esteem. Women who admitted to masturbating scored higher on the self-esteem index than women who didn’t. In addition to higher self-esteem, women who masturbate have a more positive body image and less sexual anxiety.

Masturbation has also been correlated with greater relational and sexual satisfaction, especially among women. A 1991 study of young married women found that those who reported to have masturbated reported greater marital satisfaction. These women reported increased bonding within their relationship because the surge of oxytocin at orgasm stimulates feelings of affection, intimacy and closeness with your sex partner.

II. Sexual Intercourse

Longevity

Study after study has underscored the causal link between sexual activity and physical health. In a study on longevity, researchers found a direct correlation between frequency of orgasm and mortality. They found that the mortality risk was 50% lower among men who had frequent orgasms (defined in this study as two or more per week) than among men who had orgasms less than once a month. For men, frequency of intercourse was a significant predictor of longevity. Mortality rates were higher among men who had ceased having sexual intercourse at earlier ages. Conversely, for women, frequency of intercourse wasn’t predictive of longevity but rather women who reported past enjoyment of intercourse had greater longevity.

Heart Disease and Stroke

Further analysis of these longevity studies revealed that frequent sexual intercourse—twice or more a week—was correlated with a lower incidence of fatal coronary events. Individuals who reported an intermediate or low frequency of sexual intercourse—less than once a month—had rates of fatal coronary incidences twice that of those who had reported high frequency of sexual intercourse. There is a relationship between the levels of the hormone dehydroepiandrostone (DHEA), which is released during orgasm, and a reduction in heart disease. Finally, testosterone, the hormone important to the sex drive in women and men, has also been shown to help reduce the risk of heart attacks and to reduce harm to the coronary muscles when heart attacks do occur.

Menstrual Health and Regularity

Your past sexual experiences have a direct influence on both your sexual and reproductive health. A 2002 study of US women found that women who did not develop endometriosis were more likely to report having engaged, sometimes, or often, in sexual behavior during menstruation than those women who developed endometriosis. They were also more likely to report having experienced orgasm during menstruation. In addition, the researchers found that frequent sexual intercourse may regulate your menstrual cycle. Women who engaged in penile-vaginal intercourse at least once every on-menstruating week had cycle lengths that were more regular than women who had coitus sporadically or were celibate.

Fertility and Pregnancy

This may be good or bad news but frequent sexual intercourse may enhance fertility. Studies of menstrual cycle variability and frequency of intercourse have shown that regular intimate sexual activity with a partner promotes fertility by regulating menstrual patterns. And the timing of your orgasm affects your fertility. Women who had orgasms during intercourse after their male partners’ ejaculation retained more sperm than those who did not reach orgasm or who had orgasm before their partners ejaculated.

And if you thought that sex during pregnancy may be harmful, take note. Additional research has indicated that sexual activity may even have a protective effect against early delivery. Women who reported sexual intercourse with orgasm, sexual intercourse without orgasm, and orgasm without sexual intercourse were more likely to carry their pregnancy to full term than women who did not report engaging in sexual activity as late in their pregnancy. Studies suggest that continued sexual activity late in pregnancy may provide protection against preterm delivery.

Conclusion

Your sexual organs stay healthier when exercised. And you can achieve the health benefits of sexual activity even if you’re not with a partner. Autoeroticism and masturbation are equally important for men and women with benefits even within the context of an exclusive sexual relationship. The positive physical, intellectual, emotional and social dimensions of sexual expression have just begun to be explored but stand as a testament to increased awareness and acknowledgment of one’s sexual divinity.