Vibrators and sex toys are great. But they also pose health risks like vaginal infections and exposure to chemicals amongst other things.
Your hands can literally do what your partner might not be able to. After all, no one knows your sensitive buttons like you do, right? In fact, hold a vibrator with those hands and the happiness increases ten folds while pleasuring yourself.
But don’t rejoice just yet. Because using vibrators and other sex toys comes with a lot of health risks. Take a look:
1. You could be exposing your body to harmful chemicals
In a study about plastics carried out by consumer watchdog, Choice Australia, it was found that harmful chemicals such as Bisphenol A, phtalates, PVC and BPA were added to the plastics used to make sex toys in order to make them softer and more flexible.
The study went on to state that exposure to these chemicals could lead to health problems like infertility, obesity, breast cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
2. Your immunity might take a hit
To help you understand this, let’s take you back to the 1960s when The Masters & Johnson sexual response cycle was published. According to this theory, the sexual response has 4 phases:
Initial arousal, when sex organs swell up with blood and the vagina starts getting wet for lubrication.
Plateau, when the swelling is now accompanied by a faster heart rate and heavier breathing.
Orgasm, when the vaginal wall and pelvic muscles start to contract.
Resolution, when your muscles relax and things go back to normal.
You see, when you use a vibrator, you end up missing a large part of the plateau phase and tend to reach the orgasm stage quickly. However, it is during this missed phase that the maximum amount of immunity-boosting and mood-uplifting hormone oxytocin as well as nitric oxide are released.
3. Sex toys might not be release your stress completely
See, several studies including the one conducted at the Arizona State University have proven how achieving an orgasm can reduce stress by flushing the cortisol hormone (stress hormone) out of the body. Climax also boosts the production of the love hormone, oxytocin, which can make you feel happy.
Another point to consider here is that as per a excerpt from the book Slow Sex: The Art and Craft of the Female Orgasm, the longer it takes for you to orgasm, the more stress-free you’re likely to be.
Now, the problem with using sex toys—especially the ones that vibrate—is that they can make your sensitive nerve endings down there react faster and lead you to a quick orgasm. This is in comparison to the one you might achieve from sex or foreplay with your partner.
In short, a quick, vibrator-induced-orgasm means that less stress reduction. More stress equals more cortisol, and we all know what this bloody hormone can do.
4. You could get an infection
This one is a no-brainer. If you don’t clean and store your sex toys properly, you are increasing your risk of getting an infection your vagina and the urinary tract. You really don’t want that, right? So, be careful, girls.