Hormones and Masturbation

In our last post we mentioned the study looking at the hormone prolactin and masturbation. Actually the involvement of hormones in masturbation is much more complex.

Brody and Kruger measured prolactin following sexual intercourse and masturbation. Since the release of prolactin was much larger following orgasm by intercourse than masturbation they concluded that intercourse is more satisfying than masturbation. Looking at the other work Brody has done it's obvious that he's a proponent of orgasm through sexual intercourse.

Prolactin was initially known for it's effects in stimulating women to produce milk. Later it was found to regulate the termination of sexual arousal following orgasm. Whether or not the reduction in sexual arousal is pleasurable is another matter. High levels of prolactin due to drugs or disease are associated with impotence. As a result, the surge in prolactin following orgasm has been related to the termination of sexual arousal.

Prolactin is not the only hormone associated with orgasm. Although more difficult to study, oxytocin has been found to increase with orgasm. Like prolactin, oxytocin was also originally associated with female mile production. However oxytocin has recently been related to a variety of “prosocial” behaviors and has been called “the love hormone”. This is due to the fact that it facilitates trust and pair bonding.

Oxytocin is also a powerful stimulus for erection. Due to it's role in bonding and sex the release of oxytocin with orgasm is likely to have a strong. Interestingly, many of the studies done on hormones and orgasm in humans use volunteers who masturbate in the laboratory. Certainly these results apply to masturbation as well as sex with a partner.

Let's speculate on the impact that oxytocin release might have on masturbators. Our first masturbator is a teen who is jerking on his dick while he looks at a magazine full of naked women. As he ogles his favorite girl he blows his load all over himself. While his dick was busy spurting cum his hypothalamus was busy spurting oxytocin into his blood stream. Nature had intended that this hormone would cause our young masturbator to bond with his partner, but now it's the centerfold that it burned into his brain.

Our second masturbator is lying naked on a bed while his naked older brother takes hold of his dick. He's been looking forward to this moment for some time now. He thought that his parents would never leave but now he feels that intense pleasure that is masturbation. He watches his brothers cock gently sway with each stroke. Suddenly he sees his own little dick spewing out thick white cum. Out comes the oxytocin too! Nature had intended that this hormone would cause our young masturbator to bond with his partner, but now it's the sight of a cumming dick that it burned into his brain.