“Feel Good, Sleep Better”: What a New Study Says About Masturbation and Menopause Relief

When you think of menopause symptom relief, hormone therapy, herbs, or yoga might come to mind, but what about masturbation? A surprising new study suggests that self-pleasure could be more than just a feel-good activity, it might help ease some common menopause woes.

What’s This About?

At its heart, this research was designed to explore whether masturbation (yes, good old self-pleasure) might help with the physical and emotional symptoms that women experience during perimenopause and menopause.

Researchers asked a large group of women (ages 40–65) about the strategies they’ve used to manage menopause symptoms and how well those strategies worked. Among everything from diet and exercise to hormone therapy, they asked about masturbation and how effective it felt.

When & Who?

This wasn’t a tiny lab experiment with 20 people. It’s based on an online survey of 1,178 U.S. women aged 40 to 65, covering both perimenopausal and postmenopausal phases. That gives the findings broader relevance across the typical age range when menopause symptoms kick in.

What Did They Find?

Here’s where it gets interesting:

• About 1 in 5 women said that masturbation helped relieve their menopause symptoms.
  Participants who used self-pleasure rated it among the most effective ways of managing symptoms, especially emotional ups/downs and sleep troubles.

• Nearly half said they would be open to trying masturbation for relief if their doctor recommended it. But very few had ever had that conversation with a clinician.
  

In other words: many women are already discovering these benefits, and many more would try it if it were part of mainstream symptom-management talk.

Why Does This Matter?

Menopause isn’t just about hot flashes and night sweats, it also brings mood swings, sleep problems, stress, and sexual changes. Most treatment discussions focus on hormones, lifestyle tweaks, or supplements. This study suggests that sexual self-care, specifically masturbation, may deserve a place at the table too.

Even more important, it highlights a gap: women want info from their doctors about sexual wellbeing, but that topic often gets skipped. Bringing it into the open could help destigmatize self-pleasure and empower women with more tools, especially affordable, low-risk ones, to manage symptoms.

What Am I Doing About It?

As someone who writes about wellness and science, this study has changed how I think about menopause care. I’m pushing myself to:

• Include discussions about sexual self-care in regular health conversations. If you haven’t noticed, I’ve published about six episodes on sexual health and libido in the last six months.
  
• Encourage evidence-based, shame-free talk between women and their healthcare providers.
  
• Look out for more research that digs deeper, especially controlled trials that show how and why these effects happen.

This isn’t about prescribing one fix for everyone, but about expanding our toolkit so no one feels like menopause relief options are limited or taboo.

Practical Tips

If the idea in this study intrigues you, or you’re already curious about masturbation as part of self-care, here are some gentle, practical ways to explore it:

Lean into what feels good. No “right way” here. Explore at your pace and comfort level.

Mindful approach: Pay attention to how your body feels before, during, and after, especially mood and sleep changes.

Routine matters: Some women find consistency helps, like regular practice rather than one-off sessions.

Talk to a provider: If you’d like a clinician’s input but have never brought it up, consider it! A supportive professional can contextualize it within your broader menopause plan.

Pair with self-care. Combining self-pleasure with other habits, like warm baths, deep breathing, sleep hygiene, might boost overall relief.

Reference: Lehmiller, J. J., Graham, C. A., Ferrall, L., Mendelson, E. A., & Prine, M. S. (2025). The role of masturbation in relieving symptoms associated with menopause. Menopause.