Sex Toys and Menopause: The Duo We Didn’t Know We Needed

Self-pleasure, especially with a sex toy, can lead to a dramatic reduction in menopausal symptoms, according to a new study by the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University and sex toy brand Womanizer.

Researchers recruited 66 peri- and post-menopausal women between the ages of 40 and 69 from around the United States. Nearly all of them were dealing with at least one menopausal symptom, with the most common being fatigue, night sweats, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, and joint pain.

The women were asked not to masturbate for two weeks, followed by two weeks of masturbating however they wanted, and four weeks of using a vibrator-like sex toy made by Womanizer, which sponsored the research. The toy uses pulsating air pressure to mimic natural suction.

After four weeks of regular masturbation with the toy, around 93% of participants found relief from at least one menopausal symptom. The women reported greater symptom improvements the longer they masturbated using the toy. Many reported feeling less tired and having fewer mood swings. The women reported symptom improvements whether they had an orgasm or not. But those who had orgasms experienced greater symptom relief over the course of the study.

The vast majority — 91% — of participants said they’d be more likely to masturbate if they knew it could help with symptom relief, and 79% said they’d masturbate if their doctor told them to. But only 3% said their doctor had ever brought up self-pleasure.

“Conversations about menopause often focus on hormone therapy or lifestyle changes, but self-pleasure remains overlooked,” said Cynthia Graham, PhD, a senior scientist at the Kinsey Institute. Does this mean more research on masturbation and menopause is to come? We certainly hope so.