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Sexuality & Relationships (Expert Forum)
PreCum and Masturbation
Answered by
Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D. - Sexuality, family, Sexual Identity
This forum is for questions and support regarding relationship issues such as: Abstinence, Arousal Problems, Birth Control, Cohabitation, Commitment, Communication, Couples Counseling, Desire /Lack of Desire, Sexual Technique.
PreCum and Masturbation
by needhelp5466, Mar 20, 2007 12:00AM
The last time I had intercourse was over a year and a half ago. I've never had unprotected sex. Late December 06 I received a hand job from a female. I had noticed a rash where my inner thigh meets my testicle before december. Around march it hadnt gone away so I got scared and did a Full STD and HIV test. I did the test in March of 07. The results came back all negative and the herpes tests were IgG results. At first i was afraid the rash was herpes but my doctor told me that due to the results and from looking at the rash it was just a fungal infection. She prescribed an ointment and it went away after a week and a half. My question is not about the herpes. I have masturbated once daily for at least the last 2 years. I stopped bc i was kinda scared and nervous about the whole situation. I've noticed like a little precum when i become aroused and sometimes the tip of my penis feels wet. Is this because I stopped masturbating? Is there such a thing as masturbating too much. Is this a lil anxiety left over from thinking I had herpes? Any help would be appreciated!
Doctor's Answer
by Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D., Mar 26, 2007 12:00AM
, Mar 26, 2007 12:00AM
There is no such thing as masturbating too much unless, you literally rub yourself raw or you are so compulsive that it gets in the way of work or a relationship. Most of the research shows that masturbation is actually good for you- a recent journal of the American Medical Association indicated that having more than 2l ejaculations a month was correlated with lower incidences of prostate cancer.
There is no reason to stop. Many men have some 'pre ***' leekage just because of erotic thoughts, or the sensation of underwear against the penis. It is perfectly normal and a common experience for many men.
I think your anxiety is unnecessary and I hope you can put it away. You probably did associate the fear of having a sexually transmitted disease with arousal in general and masturbation in particular-- but there is no reason to think that anymore. Healthy bodies get sexually excited and masturbation is a perfectly reasonable and pleasurable way to respond to sexual arousal. Please don't worry about it anymore!
It doesn't sound like you were masturbating excessively. Some women masturbate once a day. And if men are expected to do it more often than women, I think you're fine.
Unless it's excessive or discolored, the precum doesn't sound problematic. I doubt it has much to do with how often you masturbate - though if you haven't at all lately, the glands that make the precum might need some exercise. My guess is that there is natural variation in everyone's bodies in terms of what they produce. It wouldn't surprise me if next year this little problem went away.
As for the fungal infection you had, I don't know if the doc explained to you about jock itch. Both men and women get it, and is usually seen in active people (who play sports, go hiking, and get very sweaty). Conditions on the skin of your groin and inner thighs can become just right for fungi that are naturally present down there. I'm not sure if you were paranoid about this, but the handjob you got from the girl - not to mention your masturbation habits - probably have nothing to do with the rash. The sex parts can be weird for both men and women, but if I were you, I'd relax and little and enjoy masturbating again. Shower regularly (particularly after exercise) to avoid any future cases of jock itch. I hope this helps!
Anxiety becomes a brain chemical habit. If you are extremely anxious for a period of time with a good reason to be anxious, often when that cause gets resolved the anxiety remains and feeds on an irrrational anxiety. Your brain is still producing the anxiety chemicals, and your body is reacting by feeling anxious, so you come up with the masturbation thing.
My suggestion is to rest it. Give yourself a time limit where you will NOT THINK ABOUT IT. Like, for 3 days, don't allow yourself to think in that direction. When you find yourself becoming anxious about masturbation, STOP IT. Think of something else.
I'm working through residual anxiety, and it's amazing the irrational things I can get worked up about!
Best wishes.