Your Two Hidden Gems: What Is Muffing?
Two hidden orifices rarely get discussed for people born with male bodies: the inguinal canals. Located above the testicles, these skin-covered holes are highly sensitive. Stimulating these holes — also known as inguinal canal masturbation — is an act known as “muffing.”
Although perhaps most prevalent in transgender communities, muffing can be explored and enjoyed by anyone with a male body. In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about muffing, from how to muff to whether or not muffing is healthy.
What Is Muffing?
Muffing is a term used to describe the stimulation of the inguinal canals, whether done alone or with a partner. The term was coined by Mira Bellwether in her 2010 book, “Fucking Trans Women.” Before 2010, there was no easy term for this form of sexual exploration.
What Are the Inguinal Canals, and Where Are They Located?
The inguinal canals are two short passages — four to six centimeters long — responsible for moving materials between the intra- and extra-abdominal structures. For those with male bodies, you can think of them as the place where testicles recede when it gets too cold.
Which Individuals Can Experience Muffing?
Although both male and female bodies have inguinal canals, the outer part of the inguinal canals can only be located externally by people with male bodies. This means that only those people assigned male at birth can experience muffing.
How Do You Penetrate the Inguinal Canals?
Before you can penetrate the inguinal canals, you first need to know where to finger inguinal canals. This can take some exploration and experimentation.
First, you need to explore the pelvis. If you have balls and a scrotum, try moving that to one side. If not, you’ll explore the place in your body where you used to have balls and a scrotum.
Reach up and press with your fingers just above where testicles would hang. Gently explore until you find a small divot or indentation covered with skin.
This canal is super sensitive and filled with nerve endings.
Read: How to perform a great Prostate Massage?
Once you know where the inguinal canals are located, you can explore penetration. Start by just pressing your finger against the area, especially if you’ve never muffed before. If it feels good, you can experiment by pushing your pinky finger in as far as it will go or even pushing the testicles themselves up into the inguinal canals. Over time, these areas will stretch, and you can penetrate with more giant fingers or even toys!
What Are the Best Products for Muffing?
There are numerous ways to stimulate male-assigned bodies, and not all of those erotic activities focus on the penis. Muffing can be a great way to explore your body — alone or with a partner — to better understand it. The key is to communicate openly about what feels good and doesn’t.
If you’re looking to take muffing to the next level, check out the five best products to use while muffing:
Why Do People Explore Muffing?
People explore muffing for the same reason they explore any other aspect of their sexuality: because it feels good! That said, muffing is especially popular in male-to-female (MTF) transgender populations and is usually discovered through self-exploration.
One reason transgender muffing can be popular is that some trans women may not feel comfortable having their penis stimulated during sex. In contrast, other trans women may have had gender confirmation surgery to remove their penis altogether. For these women, transgender muffing can be an empowering way to explore their sexuality and celebrate their body and an incredibly hot alternative to penis stimulation.
Of course, muffing isn’t just limited to trans women. Cisgender males can also enjoy muffing. Unfortunately, because the term muffing is relatively new and the inguinal canals aren’t easily located unless you’re looking for them, many cis-gendered men don’t know about the pleasure muffing can bring.
How Do You Enjoy Inguinal Canal Masturbation?
- The key to enjoying muffing for the first time is to start slowly. Trim your fingernails so you don’t scratch your sensitive skin and start with just the tip of your pinky finger. Begin by gently massaging the area, perhaps pressing in a slow circular motion, similar to how you’d explore an anus for the first time.
- Once you have stretched the area some, you can insert your whole finger into the canal and use a gentle in-and-out motion to stimulate this area. As your inguinal canals become used to being produced, they will stretch over time. You can eventually work up to more giant fingers and even certain toys.
- Another option is to use the testicles themselves to stimulate the canals. Push one testicle up, and then gently massage it while it’s tucked to enjoy this form of inguinal canal masturbation.
What Are Some Muffing Tips for Partners?
Muffing is often enjoyed as a solitary activity rather than with a partner because the nerves inside the inguinal canal are susceptible, and there is no good way to lubricate the area. However, if you can perform inguinal canal stimulation on your partner, it can be an intimate experience that neither of you will forget.
The key is to go slow and to communicate with your partner the whole time about what feels good and how much pressure to use. If it’s your first time, you might try just massaging the outside of the canals or using a vibrating toy to stimulate these holes externally.
Read: What is Mutual Masturbation?
What Accessories Do You Need While Muffing?
One of the great things about muffing is that you can use just your body to perform this sexual act. Although inguinal canals don’t self-lubricate, they also don’t require lubrication. Muffing can be enjoyed just with your fingers, testicles, and the body you were born with.
How Does It Feel to Be Muffed?
Muffing feels different for different people. One reason it’s popular, especially in the trans community, is that it divorces orgasm from penis stimulation and encourages you to derive pleasure from other parts of your body. In fact, it has been compared to having two vaginas that can be stimulated for pleasure.
The orgasm derived from muffing is less intense than the orgasm from stimulating the penis alone. Still, it can be a unique sensory experience as most of the sensation is internal rather than external.
It’s important to remember that enjoyable muffing is all about using the right amount of pressure. Too much stress in that area can be painful, which is enough to turn some people off of the idea of muffing entirely.
Read: How to have intense Orgasms?
What Are the Risks and Benefits of Muffing?
If you find yourself wondering, “Is muffing healthy?”, you’re not alone. According to a urologist specializing in gender confirmation surgery, muffing is perfectly healthy and safe.
Because muffing is a relatively new term and hasn’t been discussed until recently, there aren’t any good studies done on the health benefits or risks surrounding muffing. However, you can assume that, like any other activity that can lead to orgasm, muffing may improve your immune system, cardiovascular health, mood, and sleep cycle.
The most significant risk to muffing seems to be that too much pressure can be painful. However, the pain itself will likely prevent you from going too far or injuring your body while muffing.
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Sources:
All You’ve Wanted to Know About Muffing. (February 2018). Kinkly.
Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis, Inguinal Region (Inguinal Canal). (August 2020). StatPearls.
A Sexologist’s Guide to Muffing. (September 2019). Bust Magazine.
What to Expect from Gender Confirmation Surgery. (October 2017). Healthline.
A Guide to Muffing: the Hidden Way to Finger Trans Women. (October 2017). Vice.
Orgasms for a Better Life: The Surprising Benefits of Sexual Pleasure. Everyday Health.
