Everyone described the climax after a period of abstinence as more intense than usual, with greater volumes of secretions. Some people try to create and manage periods of abstinence so they can enjoy the more intense orgasm at the end. Others try to establish a regular masturbation schedule and stick with it so as to manage their urges.
Regular masturbation seems to be an important part of life for many people of both genders and all ages, even when they are happily involved in a relationship that includes regular sex. Others, however, seem able to function fine without masturbating regularly.]
Once in a while I'll try to go a week or more without masturbating – or at least not to climax. The first couple of days, the trick is to not think about it at all. But about 4 days into it, it creeps slowly into my mind until it's there almost every second. At this point, it seems like one continuous masturbation session for the next few days because I'm always turned on. Now it seems more erotic *not* to masturbate. Waiting and waiting becomes part of the game. After a week, *everything* makes me horny – it's an incredible feeling. Then one day, I just know the time's up and it's time to enjoy the orgasm I've been building for over a week. It's incredible!
- age 20, Illinois
It's like a Christmas present I can't wait to open. I just know it's the best present I'll ever get, and I just cannot wait to open it. I sit there thinking about it. It's actually pretty arousing just writing about it!
- age 16, Kansas
When I have a need to masturbate it feels like it's the only thing I can think of and something I must get done soon so I can go on to do other things. It's a very important part of my life, even though I have been married 25 years and have two grown children. I still love the way I can make myself feel when I am alone.
- age 48, Michigan
When it's been a while since I've masturbated, it seems like everything I see or hear becomes sexual, from clouds to innocent things people say. It gets harder and harder to concentrate on something other than sex. In the end I give in because it's so hard to resist. Otherwise it feels like my penis is constantly stiff and it's hard (ha!) to keep my hands off it. It's mind-bending.
- age 17, Virginia
When I spent some time living with some people I didn't know in another country, I didn't masturbate for about 2 weeks because someone was always around. I got pretty damn irritable and grouchy – as well as lazy. Once I could finally do it, I was instantly happy again. It felt as though the chemicals in my brain were immediately back to normal.
- age 21, Texas
When I haven't masturbated in a while, my penis becomes ultra-sensitive. Every slight shift or movement arouses me, causing more frequent erections. However, I know that the longer I can go without gratification, the more sperm I will ejaculate, creating an awesome release. Yet sometimes I can't wait too long, because I become too distracted – so I have to masturbate frequently. My masturbation frequency hasn't really decreased over time; I have masturbated about twice a day for the past 7 years.
- age 19, Michigan
It's hard to describe. If I haven't masturbated in, say, a week and then I see something that turns me on, my penis gets stiff in less than 10 seconds. Then it's like my brain sends a message to my hand telling it to start stroking my penis! When I start masturbating, it's like a totally new feeling, but it doesn't last too long because I can't take this intense feeling of pleasure.
- age 15, Egypt
When I haven't masturbated in a while, I sometimes wake up during the night or early in the morning with a very "aggressive" erection. This is sometimes accompanied by a sexual dream (though I've never had a nocturnal emission) and, half-asleep, I quickly masturbate to an intense, high-volume orgasm and ejaculation. If I go back to sleep and ignore the erection, later in the day I am likely to experience the kind of spontaneous erections I used to have in my mid-teens. The urge to masturbate is quite strong. I have even had to go to the loo [bathroom] at work and masturbate quickly to relieve this tension. Interestingly, if I am having regular sex with a partner (and as a result, masturbating less), I will still experience this almost adolescent need to masturbate after a week or so of no masturbation – even if I am having sex daily.
- age 30, Texas
Once I stayed at a friend's house for a week; I didn't want to masturbate, but after a while the urge to ejaculate was so strong I would think about it all day. I even slept with a sock over my penis just in case I ejaculated onto his guestroom bed. One night I woke up at 3:00 a.m. and couldn't take it anymore – I ran to the bathroom, grabbed some tissue, ran back to the room I was staying in, got on my knees, and went at it. It was my most powerful orgasm ever.
- age 15, California
I actually start to feel this tension in my whole body, like I am just not equal. It's like feeling that you have to blow your nose but you're in church and do not want to disturb the silence and peacefulness. So all you can think about is getting out of there to blow your nose. It's like that!
- age 27, Oregon
I feel that I must masturbate right away, no matter where I am, what time it is, or anything! I get hard the second I think of anything having to do with sex, and I start to get extra-masculine, if you know what I mean. It makes me want to have sex 100% more than normal. Physically, all of my energy goes into my erection. Mentally, I get a little cloudy.
- age 16, Connecticut
It gives a special feeling in my testicles – they feel more sensitive and solid. When I walk or sit I can feel my testicles between my legs. I am much more aware that I have them. I get more spontaneous erections, and my glans is more sensitive. Sometimes some "pre-cum" comes out spontaneously.
- age 32, Netherlands
I get physically weak, as if I haven't eaten or am ill. And when the urge comes, it's like I have withdrawn from a drug – the feeling I get when I finally get a chance to do it is one of the most relaxing experiences I know.
- age 17, Texas
All day my penis is first hard and then soft. At the root of my penis, near the anus, there is a tingling feeling, just like the sensation at the very beginnings of orgasm. It seems that if I were to concentrate on that pleasant itch, I could climax without even touching my penis. All day I'm thinking, This is it – tonight is the night. And I plan the little details: the method, the rhythm, etc. I have trouble concentrating on any serious work. I never go to the men's room and masturbate quickly for relief, as that would ruin the upcoming night session.
- age 77, Maryland
The feeling is hard to describe. It's not so much a physical feeling, and it's not like a desire. It's almost as though something's missing and masturbation puts it back.
- age 16, Australia
The longest time I've gone without masturbating is 9 days. I was 17 and on vacation in a motor home with my family. At first, not being able to masturbate didn't bother me, but by the fifth day I found myself really wanting and needing to do it. There was a sensation like itching in my genitals, which I tried to take care of discreetly whenever possible. I was a bit bitchy at times, too. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I took a long hike at the national park where we were staying and found a private spot. I dropped my shorts and had a wonderful orgasm.
- age 37, California (female)
Going without masturbating brings about strong and pronounced feelings. When I am in high anticipation of being able to masturbate after long periods of deprivation, my heart palpitates, my palms get sweaty, and my adrenaline level peaks. I cannot get the anticipation out of my mind, and I cannot stop thinking about the awesome release of energy that I will achieve when I get to masturbate. It is a truly intense craving that is unrelenting until satisfied.
- age 17, Texas
It's like having a craving that just doesn't go away. I have a constant erection, tingling in my genitals, and all my mind says is, "Masturbate!" I even get a "butterfly" feeling in my lower abdomen. I'll just have to stop right then and there, drop my pants, and do it. I've even stood and masturbated at the kitchen sink, which looks out on my driveway. I've gone outside in the wee hours of the morning, stripped completely nude, and masturbated. Then my ejaculations are usually incredibly intense in feeling and volume. It's *great,* and the feeling afterward is so calming.
- age 25, Oklahoma
I get really horny at night. My penis gets erect at the smallest things. It's almost like when you have an itch on your back but you haven't been able to reach it, so you get antsy and fidgety for a while until finally you can scratch it.
- age 13, Illinois
After 2 or 3 days without an orgasm, the need becomes rather urgent and sometimes unpleasant. Besides the expected drive that accompanies my erection, I also get a dull cramp in my stomach. My testicles may also feel very sensitive, causing minor pain. I get out of breath and my heart races if I think erotic thoughts. I become easily agitated or grumpy. I also notice that the first orgasm after none for some time is not as good because it comes too quickly – usually I must masturbate or have sex more than once in an hour.
- age 24, Pennsylvania
I try really hard to not masturbate every day, so that I can build up a really intense orgasm. However, after a couple of days I develop a deep urge inside to do nothing else. I also get turned on easily. When I do masturbate finally, I'm tempted to rush and must slow myself down to enjoy the experience. But the climax then is the best feeling in the world and well worth the wait!
- age 15, Scotland
I feel very self-conscious; if I'm in class at school, sometimes I'll just nervously start rubbing my thighs together and massaging the crotch of my pants at my desk. There is that persistent tingle in my thighs that screams to my brain to just go ahead and do it! I'll start thinking about people in the class touching me or me touching them. Or, I'll have these strange thoughts like, Wouldn't it be cool to whisper to someone how much I need to do it right now? I get very giddy and anxious until I can finally masturbate. Twice, when I didn't want to wait to go home, I have masturbated in a girls' restroom that isn't used much during certain periods.
- age 15, Florida (female)
My penis gets much more sensitive. I get erections much more quickly, and I can climax within seconds. Mentally, not masturbating for a long time has a big effect on me; I get cranky and excited much more easily. Then at a certain moment, I just *need* to have an orgasm, or else I'll explode – at least, that's what it feels like! I must say orgasm feels much better when I haven't masturbated in a long time, but I don't know if it's worth it to withhold from masturbating for that reason.
- age 18, Netherlands
I just feel anxious and jittery (scatterbrain). I get an erection easily and quickly. My flaccid [soft] penis is always at that first stage of starting to get erect, making it longer than it normally is. When I do have an erection and I haven't masturbated in a while, I feel an ache deep in the lower part of my penis and upper mid-thighs. It's like my prostate is pounding for some action! It's just too much – like having too much coffee and having to sit in one spot for too long. I get fidgety!
- age 29, California
I constantly think of sex and other guys (I'm gay), all in great detail. My penis has a weird feeling to it. Although it's not hard, it feels like just before I get hard. The whole situation is just so frantic and sporadic.
- age 17, Massachusetts
Sexy thoughts start to dominate my mind. I can't stop thinking about penises thrusting in and out of me. Physically, I start to take pleasure in the most menial of movements. The seam of my jeans rubbing up against me, the vibrations in the car ride, all tell me that it may be time for me to release my sexual tension. It's too bad I'm available or else I'd have someone to do it for me!
- age 18, Illinois (female)
I don't know how it feels to go for a long time without masturbating, because I never go more than a few days. But when I do get the urge, it feels like a prison riot in my pants, and everybody is trying to get out. My girlfriend, also 19, swears she never masturbated. I think she's lying.
- age 19, New Jersey
My testicles ache. I get so horny that sometimes I have an erection that will last all night if I don't do something about it, which makes it hard to sleep. Just thinking about masturbating will dump a load of "pre-cum" in my shorts that makes a large wet area. I can feel it run down my leg if I am wearing boxer shorts.
- age 25, California
It feels like a great thunderstorm in my penis.
- age 17, Germany
When it's been a while – say a couple of weeks – I need to re-awaken all over by stretching and touching. Yoga really helps if I have the patience to relax fully. The "itch" is everywhere, not just in my genitals. If I ignore this, I feel cheated later and the orgasm is just superficial. After I'm stretched and relaxed, I am more sensitive everywhere, including between my legs. And I can take myself higher and I also seem to wet a lot more at my orgasm.
- age 37, Oregon (female)
I generally lose interest in doing it until I start stroking. Then as soon as my hand touches my penis it's like a dam erupting – I ejaculate in the first couple of seconds, and after that I can go round after round without really stopping until my penis starts to hurt.
- age 17, California
If my husband and I are not having sex (fighting, etc.) it may take a few weeks before I notice anything. Slowly, though, I begin to feel a slight itch or warm feeling when I move a certain way. The feeling intensifies over time, and if I watch a romantic movie, I'm done for. I won't be able to sleep or think without the thought of getting relief. It's at this time when I realize I'm horny and need to climax.
- age 38, New Jersey (female)
I am completely fixated on the orgasm. I think about the semen itself, and how utterly amazing it feels to have it shoot out of the tip of my penis. I think about the feeling of stroking my shaft up and down. Usually, without realizing it, I begin to touch myself or rub my penis when I start to think about these things.
- age 17, Illinois
It's a full, somewhat uncomfortable warm pressure in the prostate area behind and below my scrotum, like a mild sense of (in other locations) indigestion, or having to eliminate urine or feces. Mentally, the urge just won't go away unless I'm actively involved in something fairly important. I find myself counting the hours until I can slip off my shorts and spread my legs. It actually takes longer than normal for my penis to respond, and my erection is smaller at first, although stroking it is, if anything, more satisfying – like scratching an old itch. I have more semen than normal, and it's harder to do the "Stop & Go" JackinExpert Collection because it keeps wanting to dribble out of the tip whenever I even get close to a full erection. Clearly my system is saying that the first order of business is a nice, wet ejaculation. After that I can do it again for enjoyment.
- age 37, Oregon
I am extremely turned on by the slightest sexual experience. I am homosexual, so the locker room tends to drive me to a point of near-insanity. Sometimes I want to do something crazy like masturbate in the bathroom. I do anything possible to take my mind off of it until I get home, though. So far, this has been successful.
- age 15, Pennsylvania
Occasionally, when my husband is away on business, we agree not to masturbate during his time away – sometimes as long as 3 weeks. I'm usually fine in the first week, but thereafter, especially in the early mornings, I find it really difficult to keep my hands off! What happens then is that I develop such a powerful yearning to be sexual that it actually begins to plague me. I sometimes have an overwhelming need or desire to masturbate (or to just touch myself) in the most extraordinary settings – behind my desk at work; in the movie theatre; standing in a bank queue, etc. And, it's not only on a conscious level that I'm affected. I have the most bizarre sexual dreams during such a time – not repeatable here. By the time my husband returns I'm quite frantic, and he is, too. My first request is for him to masturbate me to orgasm; then all the pent-up sexual frustration comes crashing down so incredibly blissfully. It's great at the end, but oh, what a price!
- age 42, South Africa (female)
It feels like someone is tickling me but I can't laugh! I simply want to burst. Sometimes it makes me crabby, too, if I haven't masturbated in a while. I also feel bloated, although I don't know why I get that feeling.
- age 16, Illinois
I feel very tense and moody. I know I should masturbate more often to relieve pressure and mental stress, but I feel guilty in doing so because of my age. Do most guys in their late 30s still masturbate? [Yes. -M.J.]
- age 37, South Carolina
I feel really hyper when I think about masturbating; my heart beats fast and I get warm all over. Then when I pull down my shorts and look at my penis, that's it. I just like to look at it in the beginning, and that makes me even hornier. Then I like to sit and start stroking it while lightly smacking and squeezing my testicles and opening and closing my legs. It's best if you don't masturbate for about a week – then it feels so much more intense for having waited.
- age 15, Vermont
Are you kidding – a day without masturbation? Not me!
- age 23, Connecticut