30 CRAZY Facts About Self-Lovin' That'll Blow Your Mind

May is Masturbation Month in the United States. This month just won't be complete without delving more into this subject.

1. In 1994, under pressure from Republicans, President Bill Clinton fired U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders for suggesting to teach masturbation to help with AIDS prevention. Masturbation Month started as a response to the firing.

2. Proponents of masturbation can't decide whether May 7th or May 28th is International Masturbation Day.  Let's just celebrate both days!

3. In earlier times, masturbation was falsely believed to lead to blindness, madness, sudden death and other unpleasant diseases. 

4. Masturbating is an ancient practice. One of the first depictions of a female masturbating was found in a clay figurine in a temple in Malta. The figurine was from the 4th millennium BC.

5. In 17th century Connecticut, masturbators were eligible for the death penalty.

6. The Kama Sutra included instructions for masturbating: "Churn your instrument with a lion's pounce: sit with legs stretched out at right angles to one another, propping yourself up with two hands planted on the ground between in them, and it between your arms."

7. Regardless of cultural attitudes and values, masturbation has been found in all societies.

8. They've sold more than seven million Fleshlights, worldwide!

9. In 1874, Mark Twain gave a lecture about jerking off. It was a satire of the contemporary religious conservative's ban on masturbation.

10. 70% of married people admit to masturbating. Married people also have more sexual intercourse than those who are not.

11. According to a Kinsey Institute survey, 38% of people watch porn merely as a distraction, and 43% "because I can fantasize about things I would not necessarily want in real life."

12. More than 41% of people have accidentally been caught masturbating while 22.6% of women have intentionally been walked in on.

13. Self-congratulating can improve sperm quality in men with fertility problems.

14. Men who masturbate regularly have reduced risk of prostate cancer, according to a Harvard Medical School study.

15. Contrary to belief, men can orgasm without ejaculation.

16. A doctor invented the vibrator to cure hysteria—instead of the doctor using their hands, they would use the device.

17. In Japan, it's illegal to make sex toys that resemble a penis. This led to inventing the rabbit vibrator.

18. Masturbation can help build up one's resistance to annoying yeast infections.

19. On that same note, you may get yeast infection if you use your saliva during masturbation. The saliva messes with your vaginal bacteria. If you need something extra, buy some organic lube.

20. Some research even says that orgasms can help to prevent endometriosis. This condition affects the uterine lining, and may lead to infertility.

21. According to a 2002 study, 44 percent of undergraduate students masturbated on average 4.7 times per month.

22. Women who have higher levels of testosterone are more inclined to masturbate.

23. The average female orgasm lasts for 20 seconds.

24. Four out of every ten women prefer an orgasm from masturbation over actual sex.

25. The vagina is the same as your eyes in the sense that they can both clean themselves.

26. The largest clitoris in the world was the size of a penis as it was 4.5 inches long and 1.5 inches wide.

27. Only 24% of women can achieve orgasm through penetration.

28. Eight out of ten women who use vibrators tend to press the vibrator directly against the clitoris.

29. Apple nixed an app called "Happy Fun Time" that taught women how to masturbate through a cartoon vulva.

30. Sex is the safest tranquilizer in the world. It is 10 times more effective than Valium! So get going and feel great!

For more about masturbation, please subscribe to my free educational online Masturbation Month campaign here.

Dr. Martha Tara Lee is Founder and Clinical Sexologist of Eros Coaching. She is a certified sexologist with a Doctorate in Human Sexuality. She provides sexuality and relationship coaching for individuals and couples, conducts sexual education workshops and speaks at public events.

She is the author of the book Love, Sex and Everything In-Between, and the host of the weekly radio show Eros Evolution on OMTimes Radio. For more, visit www.ErosCoaching.com or email info@eroscoaching.com.