性行為的基本類型

女性可能用一隻手或雙手自娛。她們最經常的自娛是推拿愛撫整個陰戶（vulva），或輕柔地撫摸陰蒂頭和小陰唇（labia minora）。有些女性同時愛撫她們的乳頭，而有一些女性，這種乳房的單獨刺激就可以達到性高潮。

男女有時不會用手自娛，也可能只是把性器官與一些物體相擦，諸如枕頭、毛巾、床單或床墊等等。甚至，一些婦女通過騎自行車（港臺叫“單車”）就會達到性高潮。許多女性也可能通過交叉雙腿或當有節奏地前後運動時壓迫雙腿來自娛。在一些例子，單獨的有節奏的肌肉牽拉也足以達到性高潮。

在許多男性的想像中，女性自娛時會用她們的手指或用一些柱形物體插入陰道。然而，她們用各種各樣的物體深深插入陰道常常只是滿足男性和為他們提供娛樂。用於這種目的的物體通常是一些簡單的居家物件，諸如蠟燭或黃瓜等等。打從古代就為人所知曉的的物體是人造陰莖或假陰莖[dildo[1]，很可能出自義大利語diletto：delight（快樂）]。假陰莖用木材、橡膠或塑膠所製作。現今，市場上也有其它的自娛輔助工具，例如陰莖形電動振動器。同樣也有打算用於外部性器官刺激的振動器或按摩器可供選擇。這樣的裝置所提供的性刺激效應遠比陰道插入所達到的要高得多。

三款振動器       Three types of vibrators

[1]. 中國古代叫“角先生”。——譯者注。

1. Sexual Self-stimulation: Masturbation

Females

Females may use one or both hands to masturbate. Most often they manipulate the entire vulva, or gently stroke the glans of the clitoris and the minor lips (labia minora). Some women simultaneously play with the nipples of their breasts, and, in some cases, this breast stimulation alone may lead to orgasm.
Instead of using their hands, both females and males may also simply rub their sex organs against some object, such as a pillow, a towel, the bed cover, or the mattress. Indeed, some females reach orgasm by riding a bicycle. Many females can also masturbate by crossing their legs or pressing them together while moving rhythmically back and forth. In certain instances, rhythmic muscular tension alone is sufficient to produce an orgasm.
Many men imagine that women insert their fingers or some cylindrical object into the vagina when they masturbate. However, women who insert various objects deep into the vagina often do so only to please and entertain men. The objects used for this purpose are usually simple household items, such as candles or cucumbers. Well known since ancient times is the artificial penis or dildo (probably from the Italian diletto: delight). Dildos are made of wood, rubber, or plastic. Today there are also other masturbation aids on the market, for example penis-shaped electric vibrators. There are also some vibrators or massagers which are meant to be used on the external sex organs. Such devices provide a much more effective sexual stimulation than could be achieved by vaginal insertions.