masturbation hurts and its been getting in the way

[sukimochi]

Hello there!

This is the first time that I'm using this website so I do apologize for any slip ups that I may make.

I do have a question. I'm a female and I don't consider myself as a frequent masturbater. However, I do go down south occasionally. There's something that's really been bugging me the past couple months while masturbating.

It isn't my first time doing it, but I've been getting a lot of pain and burning while I try to finger myself. It never was an issue before and I always made sure to clean myself, my hands and nails. I would masturbate for a long period of time, but now, I can barely stick a finger in myself without it burning or hurting.

I've had previous partners, but we never got to the point of having sex together. There was never any issue with lubrication either or 'going in dry/raw'. I always knew what to do but now its just getting exhausting.

I've also stopped myself for while from masturbating to see maybe if I should take a break or there's just something up with my vagina. Month after I stopped, I tried to go again but the same burning and pain.

I would love to go visit a doctor or some form of gynecologist to see what's up but I don't feel comfortable with letting my religious parents know that I'm sexually active nor have the money to do so. Maybe any home remedies that may work for me?

[Sam W]

Hi sukimochi,

That sounds like an uncomfortable situation, and I think your instinct to go to a healthcare provider is a sound one, since this issue doesn't seem to be going away. It can feel pretty intimidating to ask for help accessing healthcare in a situation like this, but the truth is you don't have go into a ton of detail when you ask (you don't even have to disclose that you're sexually active). Would it be helpful to use this space to brainstorm ways to have that conversation?

Just to double check, have you experimented with whether using lube has any effect on this issue when you're masturbating?