One in five midlife women said self-pleasure eased their menopause symptoms

Menopause symptom management typically centers on hormone therapy, non-hormonal medications, and lifestyle strategies like exercise or diet. A study published this month in Menopause, the journal of the Menopause Society, examined a strategy women report using on their own but that's rarely studied directly: masturbation [s1].

The design

Researchers surveyed a demographically representative sample of 1,178 US women aged 40 to 65 online, asking about their current symptom-management strategies — including masturbation — and how effective they found each [s1]. Data were analyzed quantitatively, using t tests and chi-square tests, and qualitatively, through thematic analysis of open-ended responses [s1].

What it found

Nearly one in five perimenopausal and postmenopausal women in the survey said they had noticed that self-pleasure provided relief from menopause symptoms [s1]. Compared with other symptom-management strategies women reported using, masturbation was rated among the highest for providing symptom relief overall, with particular effectiveness reported for psychological symptoms — mood changes — and for sleep disturbances [s1]. Nearly half of perimenopausal and postmenopausal women surveyed said they would be open to trying masturbation as a symptom-relief approach if their doctor recommended it [s1].

What the study doesn't tell us about mechanism

The survey asked women to rate their perceived symptom relief and to compare it against other strategies they used, but it did not test masturbation against a placebo or control condition, and it did not measure hormonal, physiological, or biomarker changes that might explain why some women experienced relief and others didn't. The proposed link between orgasm and symptom relief is biologically plausible — orgasm triggers release of oxytocin and endorphins, hormones associated with mood elevation and relaxation — but this study measured self-reported perception of benefit, not a physiological mechanism, and did not test that pathway directly.

Reading the numbers in context

Roughly one in five women reporting benefit is a meaningful minority, not a majority — most surveyed women did not report noticing symptom relief from masturbation, and the study doesn't report what portion of women in the sample practiced masturbation as a menopause-management strategy at all versus what portion who did practice it noticed benefit. The "nearly half would try it if recommended by a doctor" figure speaks to openness rather than to demonstrated efficacy, and reflects a hypothetical rather than actual behavior change.

Why the researchers frame this as clinically relevant

The study's authors conclude that masturbation "may play a valuable role in managing menopause symptoms" and argue it's important for physicians to discuss the potential benefits of self-pleasure with patients [s1] — a recommendation grounded in the observation that a substantial minority of women are already using and benefiting from a strategy that isn't typically part of standard clinical conversations about menopause symptom management, alongside established options like hormone therapy or non-hormonal medications.

What this doesn't establish

This is a single, cross-sectional, self-report survey — it cannot establish causation, cannot rule out that women who already have better overall symptom control or wellbeing are also more likely to engage in and report benefit from masturbation, and relies entirely on retrospective self-assessment rather than any objective measure. Response and recall bias are inherent limitations of survey research on a personal and potentially sensitive topic.

What to watch

Whether follow-up research tests masturbation's effects on menopause symptoms using more objective measures or a controlled design, and whether clinical guidance begins to reflect this as a self-directed option worth discussing. This article is not medical advice.

Sources

1. The role of masturbation in relieving symptoms associated with menopause — Menopause, 1 April 2026