Is It Healthy To Use A Vibrator? | Everyday Health

It’s Good for Your Health

The benefits of the battery-operated device abound. If you choose to try it solo, you can discover what turns you on without feeling any pressure or expectations from your partner. If you know what feels good, you can give your partner more guidance and make sex more pleasurable.

For many women, a vibrator can bring on orgasms more quickly and efficiently, says Lisa Lawless, PhD, a clinical psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience specializing in clinical psychology, relationships, sexual health, and sexual products. “This can relieve stress by releasing feel-good endorphins as well as mood-enhancing chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin,” she says.

During intimacy with a partner, a vibrator can be used to assist with arousal, enabling the vagina to relax and increasing natural lubrication, making penetration easier and more pleasurable, Dr. Lawless notes.

Plus, researchers like Karyn S. Eilber, MD, a urogynecologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, are studying the potential medical uses of vibrators. In research published in the January 2023 Sexual Medicine Reviews, Dr. Eilber and her coauthors concluded that vibrators not only enhance women’s sexual pleasure but can improve pelvic floor muscle function and treat vulvar pain. The review cites a study published in 2018 in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica that included 60 women and determined that the addition of vibration to pelvic floor muscle training reduced urine leakage by 77 percent and 92 percent after four and six weeks, respectively. An older study looked at 49 women with chronic vulvar pain who were instructed to apply a vibrator to their vulvas for 5 to 10 minutes per day for four to six weeks, along with stretches meant to loosen vaginal muscles. Over the course of the study period, the women were also told to gradually progress toward inserting the vibrator into their vaginas. The therapy had a positive effect, with 73 percent of the participants noting an improvement in pain, 74 percent reported increased sexual enjoyment, and 83 percent said they were satisfied with the treatment.

Eilber is currently working on a clinical trial that has yet to be published but notes that “preliminary results indicate that regular use of a vibrator improves pelvic health conditions such as incontinence, pelvic pain, and pain with intercourse.”