It’s absolutely true that many girls masturbate. In fact, most people do it at some point in their lives, even though some don’t. Surveys show that 80 percent of males and 59 percent of females have masturbated by age 18. That means it’s normal if you do, and it’s normal if you don't.

Will it hurt you? No credible studies have shown that masturbation can cause you any physical harm. It definitely does not stunt your growth, cause hair to sprout on your hands, change the way your genitals look or any of those other outrageous myths you might have heard. Even your health care provider won’t be able to tell if you’ve ever masturbated! So, stop worrying.

Masturbation is a good way to learn about your body and your sexual feelings without the complications that can come when you have sex or do sexual things with someone else. You can’t get pregnant or a sexually transmitted disease from masturbation.

When girls masturbate, they sometimes put objects in their vagina or anus. It’s really important for girls to remember that if an object hasn’t been made for masturbation or sex it shouldn’t be used for that. It’s also important to be super careful about putting anything inside the anus, since the muscles inside the rectum tend to pull things inside. If this happens, you could get something caught and need a medical professional to help you get it out.

Some girls like to use water from a shower or bathtub faucet to masturbate. If a girl masturbates like that, she has to make sure to put the water only on her vulva (the external part of her genitals) and not inside her vagina (the internal part of her genitals). Pressing water into her vagina can force air inside the vagina, which isn’t good for vaginal health.

For a teen girl’s take on masturbation, check out the story “Masturbation: Girls, Let’s Admit It.”