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Good news, ladies.
A new study suggests that a free, feel-good activity could help take the edge off menopause symptoms, including sleep struggles and mood swings.
That’s no small thing: about 85% of women experience symptoms during the so-called “change of life,” yet research shows many suffer in silence without ever getting relief.
In the study, researchers at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University surveyed 1,178 US women ages 40 to 65. About 23% were perimenopausal, and 56% were postmenopausal.
Participants were asked about their menopause experiences and how well different strategies worked to manage their symptoms, such as hormone therapy, supplements, diet, exercise and sexual pleasure.
Nearly 14% of perimenopausal women said they regularly used masturbation to ease symptoms — and 66% said they would do it more often if they knew it could help.
Turns out, it can. On a 5-point scale, women who relied on self-pleasure rated their relief at 4.35, beating other lifestyle interventions. Hormone therapy came in second at 4.2, despite being one of the least-used options.
When it comes to specific symptoms, 46% of perimenopausal women reported improvement in at least one area:
- 43% saw a mood boost
- 13% experienced increased sexual desire and pleasure
- 13% slept better
Smaller groups reported improvements in vaginal lubrication, reduced pain, fewer hot flashes, less bloating and relief from painful urination.
Only 3% said masturbation made symptoms worse, but those women were more likely to have overall poor health or trouble reaching orgasm since menopause.
“Conversations about menopause often focus on hormone therapy or lifestyle changes, but self-pleasure remains overlooked,” Dr. Cynthia Graham, senior scientist at the Kinsey Institute, said in a statement.
“Our findings suggest masturbation may play a meaningful role in symptom management,” she continued.
Among postmenopausal women, the effects were less dramatic but still notable: 7% said masturbation made symptoms “a lot better,” and 11% said “a little better,” while 80% reported no effect.
Scientists are still figuring out exactly why masturbation may ease menopause symptoms, but past research suggests the feel-good endorphins released during orgasm can reduce anxiety, improve sleep and ease vaginal pain, among other benefits.
The Kinsey study has made headlines worldwide as women look for ways to better ride out the hormonal rollercoaster of menopause.
“The attention is likely because masturbation is a novel (and possibly somewhat salacious) strategy to ease these symptoms, and older women are often seen as asexual,” Jennifer Power, a principal research fellow at La Trobe University in Australia, wrote in The Conversation.
But that couldn’t be further from the truth. A 2021 survey found that while sexual activity declines with age, men and women continue to have sex well into their 80s and 90s.
And yet, only 17% of Americans over 65 have discussed sexual health with a doctor in the past two years.
Conversations about menopause aren’t much more common. The Kinsey study found that just 54% of perimenopausal women and 46% of postmenopausal women had talked to a health care provider about the transition.
Even fewer had received guidance on masturbation: only 7% of perimenopausal women and 4% of postmenopausal women had discussed it with their doctor.
Researchers said the findings underscore the need for open, evidence-based discussions between patients and providers. Without them, women may miss out on potential ways to ease symptoms — including, it seems, with a little self-pleasure.
In fact, more than half of perimenopausal participants said they would try masturbation for symptom relief if their doctor recommended it.
