Recent research published in journals sexual and relationship therapy Studies suggest that orgasms, especially those achieved through masturbation using sex toys, can help alleviate the physical and emotional symptoms of menopause. This study provides evidence that sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and psychological well-being all play interacting roles in how people experience this biological change. The findings suggest that people in non-monogamous relationships or dating younger partners tend to experience less menopause overall.
The authors of the new study wanted to better understand how relationship style and sexual behavior influence the often difficult symptoms of menopause and menopause. Perimenopause is the transition period leading up to menopause, the exact point in time when a woman has not had a menstrual period for an entire year. During this transition, the body experiences major hormonal changes that cause a variety of side effects such as night sweats, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness, and emotional changes.
Samantha Bunbury, professor of psychology at London Metropolitan University and lead author of the study, said: “There has been very little research focused on menopause and sex, other than as a constant reminder that sex declines with age.” “I don’t necessarily agree with that. Certainly, research suggests that for some people, we remain sexual beings whether or not we’re menopausal.”
Although past research suggests that masturbation may provide some relief from these physical discomforts, discussion of sexual pleasure as a tool for managing menopause remains surprisingly rare in medical practice. Bunbury and her colleagues wanted to know exactly how self-pleasure interacts with physical health. They specifically sought to test whether the use of sex toys would reduce the severity of symptoms by improving a person’s overall psychological state.
The scientists also aimed to fill a gap in the scientific literature regarding diverse relationship structures. There is little information about how menopause affects people in age-gap relationships, where one partner is significantly older than the other. The research team wanted to investigate whether dating younger people or engaging in consensual non-monogamy would affect sexual function at this stage of life. Consensual non-monogamy is a relationship style in which all partners agree that it is acceptable to have multiple romantic or sexual relationships.
To investigate these questions, the scientists recruited 150 perimenopausal and postmenopausal participants through online social media platforms. All participants were over 25 years old, as some people experience early menopause due to surgical procedures.
Most participants identified as cisgender women, meaning their gender identity matches the gender assigned at birth, although a small number of transgender men and non-binary individuals also participated. Most respondents dated someone close to their own age, but fewer dated partners at least seven years younger.
Researchers asked participants to complete an online survey that included several established psychological questionnaires. One study measured overall sexual function, including sexual desire, arousal, natural lubrication, and pain during sex. Other questionnaires assessed general relationship satisfaction, psychological well-being, and sexual self-efficacy, which refers to confidence in one’s sexual abilities. Participants also filled out a symptom tracker to report the frequency and severity of menopausal symptoms.
After analyzing the data, the authors found that orgasm had a direct effect on reducing overall menopausal symptoms. Masturbation using sex toys stands out as a specific behavior that mediates this relationship, meaning that it helps explain the association between more frequent orgasms and fewer physical complaints. Participants who used sex toys reported significantly fewer problems such as fatigue and sleep disturbances.
“The link between sex toy use and the reduction of menopausal symptoms was very interesting,” Banbury told Cypost. “However, there is no single factor, and adjunctive biopsychosocial interventions under medical supervision are preferred.” This means that while self-pleasure is effective, it is most effective when used in conjunction with other biological, psychological, and social treatments directed by a physician.
Mental health also played a central role in these results. Researchers observed that masturbation with sex toys was strongly associated with reductions in emotional symptoms such as anxiety, apathy, sadness, and crying. Happiness acts as a bridge in this process. This pattern suggests that sexual pleasure improves overall mental health, which in turn makes it easier to manage the emotional challenges of menopause.
Scientists noted that overall sexual satisfaction helps reduce local physiological symptoms. These local symptoms include discomfort when urinating, pain in the genital area, and sudden loss of interest in sex. Both increased relationship satisfaction and increased psychological well-being support this finding.
This study revealed some interesting details about the types of relationships. Participants who dated partners at least seven years younger reported higher levels of sexual arousal and fewer physical symptoms than those who dated people their own age. Researchers found a similar trend among people with multiple partners. People in consensual non-monogamous relationships experienced more orgasms and reported fewer complaints of menopausal symptoms than their monogamous peers.
“I love exploratory research rather than prescriptive hypotheses that stifle creativity,” Banbury said of these unexpected discoveries. “We didn’t set out to find people in consensual, non-monogamous relationships, but as the study developed, so did the visibility of this group. It highlighted the diversity of relationships and how this diversity is often left out of research.”
Bunbury hopes these results will promote a broader understanding of aging and intimacy. “Your sex life doesn’t end with menopause,” Bunbury says. “Attraction is subjective and continuous. Our findings also highlight how diverse relationship structures and age-gap relationships are often undervalued or stigmatized in research, despite meaningful differences in sexual well-being.”
Despite these beneficial findings, this study has several limitations that prevent the results from being applied to the general population. The sample size of 150 people was relatively small, and the group lacked ethnic and cultural diversity. Different cultures have different perspectives on menopause, sex, and masturbation, which can easily influence how individuals experience and report their symptoms.
“There is no such thing as a perfect study,” Banbury explained. “This is a correlational design, not causation.” Correlational studies can show that two variables are related, but they cannot prove that one variable changes the other.
“Furthermore, reporting bias is associated with self-reporting criteria,” Bunbury added. “The relatively small sample size makes it unlikely that it can be generalized to the broader population.”
Participants provided feedback that will inform future directions for product design and research. Several respondents expressed a need for more accessible sex toys designed for people with disabilities, transgender men, and people who have had their uterus surgically removed. Researchers point out that developing ergonomic and inclusive sex toys has the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for diverse populations.
In the future, the authors plan to expand their investigation into how different treatments and relationships interact with sexual health. “At the moment, I’m focusing on immersive VR, fractal mindfulness, and menopause symptoms,” Banbury said, referring to virtual reality technology. “Recent research also addresses sexual intimacy and compassionate compassion in home hospice care.”
“So my interests are diverse,” Bunbury added. “I’m interested in investigating age differences in same-sex couples.”
The study, “Sexual functioning of perimenopausal individuals in age-gap relationships: The mediating effects of relationship satisfaction, masturbation, sexual self-efficacy, and well-being,” was authored by Samantha Bunbury, Beata Pacan, Christine Andrew, and Chris Chandler.
