Masturbation doesn’t cause any harm, either physically or mentally, even if you do it often. Your genitals may feel sore if you masturbate a lot in a short space of time. If you masturbate with a partner, the risk of passing on or getting a sexually transmitted infection (STI) is low, as long as you don’t pass genital fluids to one another on your fingers or in any other way. Although people may be embarrassed to talk about masturbating, you shouldn’t feel ashamed of it or guilty about doing it. If you feel the need to masturbate is interfering with your everyday life, talking to a doctor may help.