For some people, menopause can be brutal. According to NHS Inform, symptoms can include anxiety, migraines, hair loss and hot flushes, which can all lead to sleepless nights.
Additionally, these symptoms can last for decades.
There are treatments for menopause available, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT), testosterone gel, oestrogen and blood pressure medications.
However, researchers have discovered a form of menopause relief that’s a little more, shall we say, intimate.
The menopause relief you can get without leaving your bedroom
Earlier this year, researchers at the Kinsey Institute, in collaboration with sexual wellness brand Womanizer (which is owned by Lovehoney), conducted a nationally representative U.S. survey of 1,500 women between the ages of 40 and 65.
Those who were in a stage of menopause were asked about their experiences with the condition, their strategies for dealing with symptoms and how effective they found those strategies to be.
While diet and exercise were two of the most common coping mechanisms, masturbation was also cited, with 1 in 10 participants saying it helped them to tackle symptoms.
In particular, masturbation reportedly helped with the following symptoms:
- Mood swings
- Sleep disturbances
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Vaginal dryness
- Headaches
For each of these symptoms, women rated masturbation as being moderately to highly effective in providing relief at both earlier and later stages of menopause.
Speaking on the survey, Verena Singmann, Lovehoney Group’s Head of Pleasure Advocacy, said: “There’s no reason masturbation should remain a secret in menopause care.
“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.
“This is an opportunity to destigmatise menopause and masturbation for all women, particularly women of color who are disproportionately affected by the Gender Health Gap and the lack of menopause education”