high libido(?)

[astronomywhom]

i swear im practically always horny. like ill be okay at school but when i get home i feel like i need to get off. ive tried doing research and the one thing that comes up is “hyper-sexuality.” but from what i’ve read it’s main cause(?) is from past sexual trauma. ive got none of that. and google also told me, “oh you’re just ovulating.” 24/7? or, “its hormones!” but when i try to further research it, it tells me nothing. i swear i masturbate at least 6-7 times a day.

i know this isn’t that much of an issue but im just curious and slightly concerned….

[CaitlinEve]

Hey astronomywhom!

That definitely sounds frustrating! I would say that you're likely not ovulating 24/7. I see that you're 15, and I can't tell you how much of this would be considered hypersexuality versus just normal puberty/hormones (as Google mentioned) because I don't know your personal levels and body. That's not to invalidate your feelings though, it's not silly to be concerned! But if it helps quell your concern, I don't think it's likely that this is a bigger issue at this point. May I ask how you feel when you don't masturbate? Do you feel like your masturbation is satisfying that urge or rather that it's something you feel is a compulsion?

[astronomywhom]

(sorry for the delay, i was busy!)

whenever i don’t it just becomes an uncomfortable overwhelming feeling. so i guess it’s “satisfying” the feeling in a way. depending on what way you define “compulsion” i suppose it could also be something like that. because, as i said before, its kinda an overwhelming feeling as it is, and if i don’t masturbate it just becomes an overwhelming unpleasant feeling rather than a pleasant one.

i dunno if this answers your question so im sorry if it doesnt.

[Ellie]

Hi Astronomywhom,

That sounds like satisfying a normal urge. Compulsion would make masturbation feel totally outside your control, like something you have no choice in, and you feel you have to go through with it even when it doesn't feel good.

[Sam W]

Hi astronomywhom,

I do also want to add that hypersexuality as a concept is pretty contested within the sex ed community, because so much of it falls back on the idea that there is a "normal" level of sexual desire that, if someone is experiencing more than, is an indicator that something is wrong with them (rather than the reality which is that levels of sexual desire vary not only from person to person, but for an individual person throughout their lives). Too, in the rare cases where a diagnosis is potentially useful, it's exactly that: a diagnosis. It has to be evaluated for by a professional. So, as Ellie and Cat both said, this sounds far, far more like you're in the midst of puberty and dealing with the increase sex drive that generally comes with that, rather than any cause for concern.