性行为的基本类型

女性可能用一只手或双手自娱。她们最经常的自娱是推拿爱抚整个阴户（vulva），或轻柔地抚摸阴蒂头和小阴唇（labia minora）。有些女性同时爱抚她们的乳头，而有一些女性，这种乳房的单独刺激就可以达到性高潮。

男女有时不会用手自娱，也可能只是把性器官与一些物体相擦，诸如枕头、毛巾、床单或床垫等等。甚至，一些妇女通过骑自行车（港台叫“单车”）就会达到性高潮。许多女性也可能通过交叉双腿或当有节奏地前后运动时压迫双腿来自娱。在一些例子，单独的有节奏的肌肉牵拉也足以达到性高潮。

在许多男性的想象中，女性自娱时会用她们的手指或用一些柱形物体插入阴道。然而，她们用各种各样的物体深深插入阴道常常只是满足男性和为他们提供娱乐。用于这种目的的物体通常是一些简单的居家物件，诸如蜡烛或黄瓜等等。打从古代就为人所知晓的的物体是人造阴茎或假阴茎[dildo[1]，很可能出自意大利语diletto：delight（快乐）]。假阴茎用木材、橡胶或塑料所制作。现今，市场上也有其它的自娱辅助工具，例如阴茎形电动振动器。同样也有打算用于外部性器官刺激的振动器或按摩器可供选择。这样的装置所提供的性刺激效应远比阴道插入所达到的要高得多。

三款振动器       Three types of vibrators

[1]. 中国古代叫“角先生”。——译者注。

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.