Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a more aggravated version of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). PMS feels like bopping to an angsty No Doubt song on the radio, while PMDD feels like being trapped in a Hawthorne Heights screamo concert with no end in sight.

PMDD is a medical condition that causes severe irritability, anxiety, and depression in the week or two before your period(1). Symptoms subside 2-3 days after your period starts. An estimated 5-8% of women and AFAB (assigned female at birth) individuals have PMDD(2).

Those of us that have PMDD can thank our lucky stars that masturbating serves as a fun way to relieve symptoms.

We talk a lot about the Lioness Vibrator and its capabilities. We’ve even mentioned how it can help you integrate your sexual health into your overall health in order to understand how the two are linked.

But getting started can feel daunting. How do you take what your Lioness shows you in the app and apply it to your sex life in real life? 

Using help from certified Sex Coach Amy Baldwin, we’ve compiled an easy to follow guide for how you can take improve your own understanding of your arousal and orgasms. 

Ah, weed lube. Who wouldn’t be intrigued by the promise of better orgasms?

I’ve spent the last seven years developing the Lioness Smart Vibrator, which uses biofeedback technology, precision sensors, and data to track orgasms. Of that time, I’ve spent three of those years conducting different projects studying the effects of cannabis on sexual function. Naturally, those two passions intersected into exploring how all sorts of cannabis strains and products can affect pleasure, both with myself and with different people.

That’s why I’m excited to share with you today a review of one of my favorite cannabis lubricants, Quim’s Oh Yes Latex-safe Serum. I’ll show you my orgasm data to show you what made this different compared to everything else I’ve tried.

After my first foray with the Lioness Vibrator, there was no denying that orgasms were going to come easily. I lasted a whopping 2 mins and 49 seconds with the actual sex toy and found my original questions answered completely.

But masturbating with the Lioness goes beyond each session. Once I opened the app and synced my session, I found I had a few more questions!

So, like any good amateur Sexual Scientist would do, I took my questions straight to the source: Liz Klinger, CEO & Co-founder of Lioness.

Whether you’re interested in purchasing a Lioness, or have one in the mail on its way to you, I highly encourage reading through my questions before giving your own smart vibrator a whirl.

Better orgasms, a tighter vagina, more lubrication, increased libido—many people with vaginas would leap to experience one of these benefits, and to know them all? Well, paying for that wouldn't be out of the question for some. No wonder certain doctors offer the Orgasm Shot, or O-Shot, to “rejuvenate” your vagina. But this procedure also has its critics...which maybe isn't a surprise given that you're putting a needle into the vagina and clitoris.

Learn what the science says (and doesn't say) about the O-Shot before you spread your legs for one of these injections.

It sounds like a philosophical question — "What's the difference between a real and a fake orgasm?"

While orgasms might be more obvious if you have a penis (though even then, people can get creative if they want or need to fake it), there is a lot of confusion over what constitutes a “real”, so-called "female orgasm” and why someone would fake one.

We go more in-depth on what a real orgasm is and feels like in another article (which you can read here). But for this guide, we’ll talk about what a fake orgasm can be, why people do it, if it’s wrong, and what to do if your partner (or you) are faking it and want to change that.

Masturbation—and sex—are as much an art as they are a science. There are biological and psychological forces at play, which we are able to explore extensively with Lioness Smart Vibrator, but when it comes down to it... everyone's bodies and preferences are different, and we all have had different experiences that have shaped how we view and experience pleasure.

So based on what we know, here are 5 rules-of-thumb to keep in mind when you're looking for the best ways to masturbate and take self-pleasure to the next level.