Menopause is a stage of life during which most women will experience at least some bothersome symptoms, such as hot flashes, difficulty sleeping, headaches, and mood changes. This is a natural byproduct of the body producing less estrogen and progesterone, which is why hormone replacement may be prescribed for symptom management.
Although highly effective, hormone therapy is underutilized. Only about one in 20 women over the age of 50 is currently using it, with concern over potential side effects being perhaps the biggest barrier to more widespread usage.
In a representative survey we conducted at the Kinsey Institute last year in partnership with the sexual wellness brand Womanizer, we found that lifestyle changes were the most common way that peri- and post-menopausal women manage their symptoms. Near the top of the list were things like physical exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, and stress reduction techniques. However, this survey uncovered another lesser-known, but highly effective lifestyle factor that can also alleviate symptoms: self-pleasure.
A Menopausal Relief
One of the most surprising findings from that survey, currently in press at the journal Menopause, was that approximately one in 10 menopausal women said that regular masturbation was one of their primary approaches to symptom management. Those who were using self-pleasure in this way actually reported that it was more effective than other lifestyle changes with respect to its effect on symptoms.
To our knowledge, this is the first scientific study to show an association between masturbation and menopause symptom relief.
A Longitudinal Intervention Study
To further explore the extent to which masturbation can serve as a self-help symptom management strategy, the Kinsey Institute and Womanizer partnered again this year to conduct a longitudinal intervention study.
For this study, we recruited 66 peri- and post-menopausal women ages 40-69 and asked them to vary their masturbation practices. To be eligible to take part in this study, participants had to be female at birth, currently in some stage of the menopause transition (as determined by the date of their last period), and residing in the United States. In addition, participants must have had at least some prior experience with masturbation.
Participants were first asked to abstain from all masturbation for two weeks. This was followed by two weeks of masturbating with their preferred method, a month of masturbating with a device, and a month of masturbating with the method of their choosing. During the phases when they were asked to masturbate, participants were instructed to do so three to four times per week. Participants also completed biweekly surveys on their sexual function and well-being.
At the beginning of the study, nearly all participants (97 percent) reported experiencing at least one symptom of menopause, with tiredness, night sweats, and difficulty concentrating being among the most common. Also, nearly one-third of them were already using masturbation as a form of symptom management. However, just 3 percent reported that their doctor had ever talked to them about masturbation before, which suggests that this is something women typically discover on their own, as opposed to having it recommended by a healthcare provider.
Over the course of this longitudinal study, reports of nearly all menopausal symptoms declined, with the largest effects observed for symptoms that centered around problems with sleep and tiredness, mood, and concentration.
A Decline in Symptoms
Generally speaking, symptoms were highest during the abstinence phase and lower during all of the masturbation phases; however, symptoms reached their lowest level after four weeks of using the device, likely because many women reported that usage of this made it easier for them to reach orgasm.
When breaking the data down by women who did versus did not have difficulties reaching orgasm, women who had an easier time reaching orgasm had substantially lower levels of most symptoms. This is likely because of the neurochemicals that are released upon orgasm. For example, oxytocin may facilitate sleep and improve mood, while endorphins may decrease perception of pain.
Menopause Essential Reads
In addition to a decline in symptom reports, perceived symptom severity also decreased. For example, the number of women at the beginning of the study who rated their menopausal symptoms as very or extremely bothersome was 27 percent; by the end of the study, this number dropped to 17 percent.
Similarly, while one-third of women said that their symptoms only bothered them a little or not at all at the beginning of the study, this number rose to more than half (51 percent) upon completion of the study.
Takeaways and Implications
The results of this investigation provide further evidence that self-pleasure is self-care during the menopause transition. Specifically, we found that women who masturbated three to four times per week for a couple of months tended to experience improvements in their sleep, mood, and overall well-being. The improvements were largest when masturbation included direct clitoral stimulation and resulted in orgasm.
In the survey of menopausal women we conducted last year, we found that nearly half of the participants said they would consider masturbating for symptom relief if their doctor recommended it, which suggests that if these findings were widely known, a substantial number of women might be willing to give it a try.
Given that masturbation is a no-cost, low-risk, accessible strategy that appears to have significant benefits, it would appear to be an option worth adding to the mix. To be clear, this is not to suggest that masturbation is a replacement for hormone therapy or other lifestyle changes; rather, it should be viewed as an additional method that can easily be combined with other approaches. Also, it’s worth mentioning that not every menopausal woman would be open to masturbating for various reasons (for example, negative attitudes toward it, history of pelvic pain, among others), so it may not be for everyone.
The right treatment approach for menopause symptoms is the one that is tailored to the individual’s unique circumstances. Different approaches may work better for different people, but many women are likely to find that self-pleasure is a valuable tool worth considering for menopausal self-care.
