Masturbation isn't cheating. It's actually a really important part of your relationship.

Are you cheating on your partner if you masturbate?

A lot of myths and misinformation about masturbation are revealed by this question and other popular search queries. Should women masturbate before sex, and is it healthy to masturbate? It is only natural that we turn to the internet for help with these burning questions given that many of us received little to no sex education at school.

Is masturbation cheating? When our partners are out for the night, does it count as betrayal if we open a box of sex toys? I spoke to the author of All The F*cking Mistakes: a guide to sex, love, and life to clear up any confusion. A person is cheating by having sexual contact with another person. It is a lie. I was told that cheating is getting yourself off.

The whole concept is silly, she said. Studies have shown that masturbating in relationships can have a positive effect on couples.

Masturbation is often seen as a less important sex act than penis-in-vagina sex. If you're in a happy, healthy relationship, it's framed as something that you shouldn't want or need. It's not unreasonable to expect one person to satisfy every single sexual whim, and the idea of this takes away from the beauty of masturbation. It is normal and healthy to do it.

Megwyn White, director of education at sexual wellbeing brand Satisfyer, told me that many people think masturbation is only for single people and a way to compensate for the lack of regular sex a long term relationship might bring. She said that some people think that sexual pleasure comes from a partner only, and that it is unnecessary to pleasure yourself in a relationship.

Couples that masturbate together...

Masturbation in a couple is not cheating, nor is it anything to be ashamed of, but it is an important part of your relationship. A study in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy found that masturbation is common in most women and that women who masturbated more frequently experienced greater satisfaction in their sex lives.

It can be difficult to find satisfaction during sex if we are not able to explore as individuals what makes us come, what we like, and what turns us on. This can be attributed to a variety of different factors including an increased awareness of what turns them on, as well as the fact that orgasms will naturally increase libido and desire by increasing levels of testosterone, White explained.

Introducing mutual masturbation into your relationship can be a lot of fun, and also great for showing your partner how you like to be touched and what works for you. Anna Iovine wrote recently that you can use it over the phone. Mutual masturbation can be a helpful teaching tool for showing your partner what you like and the kind of stimulation that helps you to reach orgasm, according to a research fellow at the Kinsey Institute.

Masturbation, like pretty much all consensual sex acts, has its place inside and outside of relationships. It has its place, and can even make things interesting between you. When you masturbate with your partner. It's fun to have one off the wrist without all the energy needed for more intense sex acts.

Communication is important. If there is anything you don't want to do in your relationship, talk to your partner and set boundaries.

Being cheated on is not the same as being cheated on by your partner using a scepter. Your ability to bring yourself sexual pleasure is part of your bodily autonomy, and your relationship status shouldn't affect that.

The longest sexual relationship of your life is with yourself.