Woman recommends orgasm for labour pains

Angelo Gallo has shared her story about her natural method for pain relief.

In case you missed it: This was one of Lifestyle's most popular stories of 2016

Angela Gallo was in the grips of labour. As contractions surged through her body she felt "fragile, helpless and overwhelmed" - but in that moment, she decided to masturbate.

While many would be shocked by this, Mrs Gallo insists that it worked as a natural pain relief and made the transition stage of childbirth more manageable.

So convinced that all women should be doing this, the 30-year-old has written a very frank and revealing blog post on the subject.

Speaking to the Daily Mail Australia, Gallo says she wanted to share her story because while it is not uncommon for women to orgasm during childbirth, having an orgasm during labour as a non-sexual form of pain relief is a taboo topic rarely spoken about.

"Something I'm particularly passionate about is choices in childbirth," said the birthing photographer and mother of two, from Victoria's Mornington Peninsula in Australia.

According to Gallo, women in mainstream birth cultures are limited with their pain relief options - with an epidural, gas or nothing at all being the main choices.

Gallo described her first birth as "highly medicalised" and she underwent an epidural that left her feeling out of control of her body.

In her second labour, through masturbation she was able to have a birth free of medical interventions. It lasted for six hours as compared to her first labour which went for 45 hours.

Her blog post has opinions divided, with some sharing their own stories and others making inappropriate or insensitive comments.

"It's not a sexual urge whatsoever," she said.

"It's my body saying 'hey, natural pain relief is where it's at'. It's about exploring your options and exploring your choices in childbirth and taking ownership of your experience on a physical and emotional level."

Here, Mrs Gallo shares her incredible birthing story she titled: Why I touched myself in labour - here's three reasons you should consider it, too!'