The change. The big change of life. Otherwise known as menopause. As folks with ovaries do, we will go through these years — perimenopause or actual menopause — the change in our ovarian function, marked by lots of not-so-fun symptoms. To help with those, though, is a much more fun solution at hand: Masturbation.
According to a new study from The Kinsey Institute and Womanizer, it was found that masturbation can improve menopause symptoms like sleep disturbances, mood changes and more.
In the study, 36.2 percent of the menopausal women surveyed reported experiencing improved symptoms through masturbation alone. However, only 1 in 10 of the women said that they currently use self-pleasure as a primary symptom management tool.
“This survey shows self-pleasure offers an effective, accessible tool for menopausal symptom relief, which is important to integrate with existing care strategies,” Dr. Cynthia Graham, the Senior Scientist at the Kinsey Institute, said in the study.
If you’re menopausal, or perimenopausal or you’re doing some research on how to manage that time when it comes later in your life, remember that some good ol’ self-pleasure is an option.
Masturbation can help your menopause symptoms (who knew!)
At Bloomi, we believe that everyone deserves access to their pleasure — especially if it means helping during an often challenging time for folks with ovaries.
Despite the findings of this study, though, conversations around menopause and masturbation aren’t happening in the medical community. In fact, only 44 percent of respondents reported ever discussing menopause with their healthcare provider. Among them, a tiny 5 percent said their provider suggested masturbation as a possible symptom-management strategy.
But that doesn’t mean folks aren’t interested in exploring their pleasure as a form of relief. Of half the women surveyed, 46 percent said they’d be open to trying masturbation for symptom relief if it was recommended by their healthcare provider.
Curious to try it out?
“There’s no reason masturbation should remain a secret in menopause care,” says Verena Singmann, Lovehoney Group’s Head of Pleasure Advocacy in the study. “Women have the right to know all of their options when it comes to managing the challenges of menopause, and we’re here to break the silence around masturbation as an empowering and effective choice.”
If you’re interested in exploring how masturbation can help your own menopause care, we think you should try these three things.
1. Try out a new vibrator
Maybe you don’t own a vibrator or you just need a refresh. To explore your menopausal symptoms management, try our Play Mini Vibrator ($35) which makes for a great beginner-friendly option, or the Caress Full-Body Massager ($65) which can both get you off and act as a massager for any soreness in your body.
2. Educate yourself on what’s happening to your body
No matter what age you are, it’s always great to continue to educate yourself on what’s happening to your body. To help with that, Womanizer is hosting a series of free educational public pop-ups with AASECT-certified sex therapist Dr. Shamyra Howard in U.S. cities with higher concentrations of people of color throughout September and October.
3. If you’re in the medical field, keep improving your care
And if you’re in the medical field, especially, it’s a great idea to improve your care for folks going through the change.
To help bridge the gap in menopause care, Kinsey Institute researchers Dr. Cynthia Graham and Dr. Justin Lehmiller will expand upon their scientific research on menopause during a two-day continuing education workshop with the Sexual Health Alliance, delivering practical strategies for providers seeking to improve care for perimenopause and menopause.