Self-Pleasure and Endometriosis

I have written about sex and endometriosis, and in particular, partnered sex. But what about solo sex? Self-pleasure is a great way to relieve some endometriosis pain, particularly cramps during your period. Having an orgasm releases endorphins, which make you feel good. Endorphins also alleviate pain, so having an orgasm when you’re menstruating can help period pain.

How to relieve pain through orgasm

Sex during your period can be messy and not everyone is into that. I personally didn’t really want to be touched during my period, let alone have sex with all the messiness that came with it. But self-pleasure is different. When you’re masturbating you are fully in control and you can be as selfish as you want to be. You can use whatever means (sex toys, shower head, your own fingers) to give yourself an orgasm. You can have sex in the shower to minimize the amount of clean-up you have to do, or you can use special waterproof sheets if you rather use the bed.

But self-pleasure is not limited to when you’re on your period, just like, sadly, endometriosis pain isn’t limited to your period. Endorphins work great as pain relief, no matter the time of the month. And not only is it a natural way of relieving pain, it’s also quite pleasurable to give yourself an orgasm.

Solo versus partnered sex

Of course, the same goes for partnered sex, but sometimes it’s a bit more work to get an orgasm during partnered sex. For most women, penetration is painful, and let’s face it: most partnered sex involves penetration. Solo sex is great because you can selfishly concentrate on your own pleasure, avoiding anything that causes pain or discomfort. It is also great as a way to find out for yourself how you get the best orgasms, because you can teach your partner those same techniques, thereby maximize pleasure during partnered sex.

I found that when I was suffering most from endometriosis pain, I was also very cold, particularly my feet. Almost as if my whole body was diverting all blood and heat to my uterus, leaving little for the rest of my body. I, therefore, didn’t like being naked, so during masturbation, I tended to keep as many clothes on as possible. You don’t need to look sexy while masturbating (although it sometimes helps to feel sexy), so you can wear a sweater and your woolly socks and still have lots of pleasure.

Being comfortable with masturbation

There is no shame in masturbating, and I highly recommend you talk to your partner about it. It’s better to be open about it rather than trying to sneak away to masturbate, or make excuses for why you need the bathroom so long. It may help if you explain that giving yourself an orgasm will help alleviate your endometriosis pain, and your partner is hopefully understanding enough to know that it’s sometimes better to focus on yourself. And if your partner is averse to period sex (like mine was), then they should not have a problem with you masturbating during your period. Plus, the lessons you learn about your own body during masturbation can benefit your partner during partnered sex as well.