I doubt very seriously that it is dangerous.  In fact if you have been in HRT for quite a while you will get shrinkage.  You may wish to "use it or lose it".  Remember it may become your neo-vagina.  And you don't want to "come up short".   

@ Alyssa.  OMFG.   

Being a very mechanical type of girl I will just say, "changing your oil on a regular basis, keeps the motor running and happy for the long haul"

As already mentioned, masturbating is a very good way to ensure you will be orgasmic after vaginoplasty.  If you don't keep those nerves exercised, they will "forget" their function and you may find yourself unable to orgasm at some point. 

Quote from: peggygee on January 12, 2011, 08:27:20 PM
I will admit though that when I was pre op, that the act of masturbating was angst producing, due to my gender dysphoria.

The only time this was the case for me was when I went to the sperm bank immediately before taking my first dose of HRT to save some, er, stuff.  The clinic had stalls with porn (Hustler mags) and no where to lie down, and no pillows.  It was wrong wrong wrong; I never once masturbated with my hands in my life.  Eww.  Never that way.  I had big time dysphoria trying to get myself to produce stuff for them to save.

Quote from: girl_ashley on January 13, 2011, 12:00:07 PM
As already mentioned, masturbating is a very good way to ensure you will be orgasmic after vaginoplasty.  If you don't keep those nerves exercised, they will "forget" their function and you may find yourself unable to orgasm at some point.

That doesn't sound medically accurate. Nerves will only atrophy if they don't have sufficient blood supply; they are unable to 'forget' their function, as they are little more than conductors (like a piece of copper wire).

Quote from: TraciMC on January 13, 2011, 07:14:58 PM
The only time this was the case for me was when I went to the sperm bank immediately before taking my first dose of HRT to save some, er, stuff.  The clinic had stalls with porn (Hustler mags) and no where to lie down, and no pillows.  It was wrong wrong wrong; I never once masturbated with my hands in my life.  Eww.  Never that way.  I had big time dysphoria trying to get myself to produce stuff for them to save.

At least yours had some simulating material for the majority of its clients, the one I went to didn't have anything and you have the choice of a toilet or the neighbouring small rooms with big windows right across other offices...

Wow I thought mine was bad.  It wouldn't kill them to set up private stalls, I would have thought.

Quote from: Vexing on January 13, 2011, 07:34:53 PM
That doesn't sound medically accurate. Nerves will only atrophy if they don't have sufficient blood supply; they are unable to 'forget' their function, as they are little more than conductors (like a piece of copper wire).

I think this is largely anecdotal.

"Many post-operative people report that the ability to have orgasm as a woman is directly related to whether your body remembers how to orgasm at all. It appears that having orgasms up to the time of surgery allows orgasms to continue after surgery." (https://www.susans.org/reference/hormones/hormoneb.html)

If anything, I could imagine that the inability to orgasm would be caused either by nerve damage or was a mental block. Any area can be an erogenous zone given time, patience, and conditioning. Just like how people in paraplegics can have sex by having their earlobes caressed (I'd say this is bull too if I didn't have a girlfriend who dished about her boyfriend). However, since all I have is anecdotal evidence myself, I can't do anything but conjecture.

Quote from: Janet Lynn on January 12, 2011, 11:41:09 PM
I doubt very seriously that it is dangerous.  In fact if you have been in HRT for quite a while you will get shrinkage.  You may wish to "use it or lose it".  Remember it may become your neo-vagina.  And you don't want to "come up short".   

@ Alyssa.  OMFG.   

Yep, I heard the same thing... some say it's good to 'stretch' it every now and then as it's said to combat shrinkage.. but the thought of it is kind of silly.

Masturbation can kill...especially if you insist on doing it in your car at 70mph and it goes off explosively, getting in your eyes and causing you to swerve across 3 lanes of traffic.

Quote from: Helena on January 14, 2011, 12:48:24 PM
Masturbation can kill...especially if you insist on doing it in your car at 70mph and it goes off explosively, getting in your eyes and causing you to swerve across 3 lanes of traffic.

I *hate* when that happens!

-Sandy(at least I don't have to worry about *that* anymore)

Thank God for masturbation! LOL. Actually it kind of sucks now. The good orgasms only seem to happen with partners now =)

Quote from: Helena on January 14, 2011, 12:48:24 PM
Masturbation can kill...especially if you insist on doing it in your car at 70mph and it goes off explosively, getting in your eyes and causing you to swerve across 3 lanes of traffic.

ahahahaha

I also heard something regarding masturbation by people on HRT helps increase the likelihood of being fertile if HRT is halted. I can't afford sperm banking.

Quote from: Nobuko on January 18, 2011, 03:02:55 AM
I also heard something regarding masturbation by people on HRT helps increase the likelihood of being fertile if HRT is halted. I can't afford sperm banking.

I seriously doubt that as masturbation (pre-op or post-op) should've no or little influence on hormone levels. It is said that fertility will usually be lost within a year of HRT. For those having HRT from the beginning of puberty there will be no fertility at all.

Quote from: sweetie87 on January 18, 2011, 11:08:17 AM
I seriously doubt that as masturbation (pre-op or post-op) should've no or little influence on hormone levels. It is said that fertility will usually be lost within a year of HRT. For those having HRT from the beginning of puberty there will be no fertility at all.

The reasoning behind it didn't have anything to do with hormone levels.. It involved something like the "Use it or lose it argument", with the reason function being lost permanently being due to gradual atrophy from lack of use.

Interesting. That would also suggest that men who often masturbate have a higher fertility rate than men who do not masturbate frequently.

You mentioned not being able to afford sperm banking, but if you really do want to have children then it's better to bank sperm instead of guessing on the 'use it or lose it-theory'.

Quote from: sweetie87 on January 18, 2011, 12:32:08 PM
You mentioned not being able to afford sperm banking, but if you really do want to have children then it's better to bank sperm instead of guessing on the 'use it or lose it-theory'.

I *may* want children,  but i'm all for the idea of adoption and/or donor children if I do want them down the line. The question of permanent infertility is just one of options; whether or not that option is available down the line after HRT. But it's not a huge deal, and sperm banking is out of my price range currently to spend for an option.

Yeah I've had friends tell me it was good to masturbate at least once in a while to keep the skin stretched. Not sure if it's true but I can no longer do so the "old way"....and only do so with it tucked. And even then it just sucks.

I need a partner now for it to be good lol

Quote from: Nobuko on January 18, 2011, 11:23:40 AM
The reasoning behind it didn't have anything to do with hormone levels.. It involved something like the "Use it or lose it argument", with the reason function being lost permanently being due to gradual atrophy from lack of use.

Masturbation has nothing to do with the production of sperm. Sperm forms long before orgasm and the production is unrelated to sexual intercourse in any way.