Patient's question:
Medical Description: I am an unmarried male, 23 years old, who occasionally masturbates. I have had this habit for three years. Sometimes, I experience sexual urges and unconsciously masturbate, especially when watching adult videos. Recently, I've noticed a dull pain in my testicles, which went away after a few days. It's a bit embarrassing to mention, but I haven't received any treatment or counseling.Desired Help: Doctor, I would like to ask if my condition is normal? What are the positive and negative effects? How can I improve the current situation? Will it improve after marriage?
Doctor's answer:
Hello, masturbation is also known as self-pleasuring. In a narrow sense, it refers to stimulating one's external genitalia with the hands to achieve psychological satisfaction and reach a state of self-pleasuring. Long-term and frequent masturbation can often cause severe mental burden. Due to frequent ejaculation, semen quality may decline, and sexual desire may decrease. Some individuals may experience an increased threshold for ejaculation stimulation, making it difficult to achieve ejaculation during normal sexual activity, all of which may affect fertility. As for whether masturbation can cause erectile dysfunction, current data cannot clarify the relationship between the two. Therefore, patients who believe their erectile dysfunction is caused by masturbation during their youth should eliminate psychological guilt and anxiety and seek other potential causes and appropriate treatment methods.