Vibrator Use Stimulates Better Health

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Can sex toys make us happier? Healthier? A pair of studies from Indiana University’s Center for Sexual Health Promotion suggests that both men and women who use vibrators report better sexual satisfaction, and are more proactive about their sexual health, than those who don’t use vibrators.

THE DETAILS: Researchers used data from online surveys after about 1,050 men and 2,056 women 18 to 60 years old answered questions regarding current and past vibrator use (with themselves or a partner) and sexual function. More than 52 percent of women said they had used a vibrator, with about a quarter of them having used one in the past month. Vibrator users scored highest on the sexual function questions, which included desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, pain, and overall function. Women who used vibrators were significantly more likely to have had a gynecologic exam during the past year, and to have performed a genital self-examination during the previous month.

Of the men questioned, nearly 45 percent said they had incorporated a vibrator into their sexual activities, with no significant difference in use by heterosexual men and gay and bisexual men. Men who reported using vibrators alone or with their partner were more likely to have participated in sexual-health-promoting behaviors, such as testicular self-exams.

WHAT IT MEANS: “It may be that women who use vibrators are more interested in, or attentive to, their sexual health both in terms of pleasure or in terms of care seeking,” says Debby Herbenick, PhD, associate director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion. “It may also be that women who use vibrators are women who simply are more comfortable touching their genitals or having them seen by a healthcare provider, and that they happen to be more comfortable talking about their bodies and seeking such personal health care,” adds Herbenick, who’s the author of the upcoming book Because It Feels Good: A Woman's Guide to Sexual Pleasure and Satisfaction (Rodale, 2009).

If the concept of vibrators is intriguing but new to you, here are a few pointers:

• Clean it regularly. While Herbenick says there needs to be more research in this area, some people like to clean their vibrators and/or sex toys before and after use to prevent genital irritation or bacterial imbalances, and that’s a good practice. Most can be cleaned with soap and water; consider using an organic or locally handmade soap to keep unneeded chemicals off your skin and out of the water table. “The key issue, however, is that you don’t want to get a vibrator’s motor or battery pack wet, so try to keep those dry by wrapping them in a towel before cleaning,” says Herbenick.

• Go intimately green. Consider environmentally (and body-) friendly materials like glass (think Pyrex rather than window panes, Herbenick notes) or medical-grade silicone. For truly green pleasure, consider The Earth Angel, which bills itself as the first green technology sex toy: a vibrator made of recycled plastic that’s charged by a hand crank rather than batteries.

• Know what to shop for. If you’re a sex-toy rookie but think it’s high time to give them a try, Herbenick makes these suggestions:

Be able to look your vibe in the eye. “A woman should choose a vibrator that she feels comfortable using, rather than embarrassed or intimidated,” says Herbenick.

Go for one with multiple speeds, especially for beginners, as you never know what intensity you will enjoy on a particular day, or during a particular type of sex play.

Be careful about sharing. It is generally not recommended that people share a sex toy with a partner (e.g., put it on their genitals and then their partner’s genitals) unless both have been screened for sexually transmitted infections (STI). Often each partner has his or her own sex toy.