Sex toys and your health: Your questions answered

Sexologists say sex toys can be a great way to explore your sexuality. These are five health questions answered.

Sex toys are becoming increasingly popular as a way to spice up people’s sex lives.

Laura Miano, director of Miano Clinical Sexology and co-founder of sexual wellness brand Posmo said she had seen a spike in sales in the last three years.

“They can lead to a more pleasurable sex life, people can have powerful orgasms, people who struggle with orgasms can use a vibrator and find that helps a lot,” she said.

“It can be something you do to bring more variety into your sex life.”

But not all sex toys are created equal and cleanliness and using them for their intended purpose was important.

Here are some answers to health questions about sex toys.

What materials are safest for your skin or body?

Sexologist and relationship expert Nikki Goldstein said that good-quality silicon was best along with high-grade lubricants that didn’t’ have sugars, like glycerine, in them.

“Those sex toys are ones saying that they are PVC safe. They are silicone or glass products as well,” she said.

Ms Goldstein said the industry wasn’t regulated so you needed to have your wits about you.

“So a great example is lubricants and chemicals that might be used if it is a cheaper product,” she said.

Nikki Goldstein is a sexologist and relationship expert.

“With a lubricant, the more ingredients, the worse it is for you and some people will react to glycerine in the lubricants.

“Any type of sugars is a real no, no because it can give you a yeast infection.”

Ms Goldstein also noted there was still more research needed on certain sex toy materials.

“I actually think maybe one day in the future, there might be more data out there to say, hey, when we are heating up a plastic that has a specific toxin in it, it’s not great for the body, but that’s why, if we’re going to high-grade silicones, then we are much safer,” she said.

Can using sex toys increase risk of UTIs, thrush or bacterial vaginosis?

Ms Miano said it was important to clean your sex toy regularly to avoid these kind of problems.

“If it’s not cleaned properly it can accumulate bacteria and throw off the balance of good and bad bacteria and you can acquire things like bacterial vaginosis and thrush,” she said.

Ms Goldstein also noted that if you shared a sex toy, you were also sharing any bacteria or STIs.

Sex toys are increasing in popularity.

“The rule of thumb is always make sure your sex toy is clean and then you’re stopping putting any bacteria back into your body,” she said.

She said it was also good to be mindful of where you stored it.

Ms Goldstein also reiterated that it was best to use the high-quality silicon or glass products from high-quality brands if you were prone to things like UTIs.

“What you are trying to go is product that is non-porous and that means we’re not holding in bacteria,” she said.

What’s the best way to clean a sex toy?

Ms Goldstein said to not only rinse it under water but to also use an antibacterial soap or, even better, a toy cleaner from a well-known brand.

“It depends how sensitive you are, what soap you’re using,” she said.

“But sticking to those high-end brands and investing in a toy cleaner I think it gives you that added layer of protection.”

Ms Miano said if your toy didn’t have a motor in it, you could wash it in the dishwasher or put it in boiling water.

Can a vibrator cause desensitisation in women?

Ms Goldstein said this was a myth.

She said there was some reports of desensitisation from women who had been extensively using a very strong device called a Hitachi Wand – originally designed as a back massager – but it wasn’t permanent.

“There is no data or anything to say a vibrator actually destroys the nerve endings,” she said.

Ms Miano said the answer was no, but it might “condition” your body.

“Using a vibrator won’t desensitise your clitoris, however, if you rely on one type of stimulation (in this case, your vibrator), you will likely condition your body to only respond to a vibrator, meaning other stimulations feel too weak or soft,” she said.

She said that was because vibrators could be quite powerful.

Vibrators causing desensitisation is a myth, sexologists say.

“As vibrators can be quite powerful (when used on a high setting), some people may find they struggle to respond to sensations that are less intense,” she said.

“There is nothing wrong with this, however, if you find you lack sensitivity in your genitals when experiencing other types of stimulation, such as fingers or low vibrations, try reducing the settings on your vibrator or bring more variability (for example, fingers only, low vibrating sex toys, slow extended stimulation, or soft stimulations) into your solo or partnered sexual experiences.

“The caveat is, you’ll find it hard to feel much at the start, but with practice you can recondition your arousal system to respond to different types of stimulation.”

What’s some things men should know?

Ms Miano said that men who used a strong grip with their hand could become used to that.

She said to counteract it they could use something called a hard shell sleeve.

“It reduces the reliance on hard type of stimulation,” she said.

“If they use a strong grip they get used to that sensation so with intercourse it might not produce enough pleasure for them because they are used to this harder sensation.”

Ms Goldstein said there were disposable “egg” devices that were quite cheap if a man was starting out and wanted to try a different sensation.

She also warned that if inserting anything to the body it was important the device be intended for that.

“Otherwise it might get lost, there’s a huge risk with that,” she said, adding that people might feel embarrassed and not ask enough questions.

She recommended making sure those kind of products had a flared base, handle or some kind of curve.

Originally published as Sex toys and your health: Your questions answered