Younger partners and sex toy use are associated with less severe symptoms of menopause

A recent study published in the journal Sexual and Relationship Therapy suggests that orgasms, specifically those achieved through masturbation with sex toys, help alleviate the physical and emotional symptoms of menopause. The research provides evidence that sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and mental well-being all play interacting roles in how people experience this biological transition. The findings hint that individuals in non-monogamous relationships or those who date younger partners tend to experience fewer menopausal difficulties overall.

The authors of the new research wanted to better understand how relationship styles and sexual behaviors influence the often challenging symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Perimenopause is the transitional phase leading up to menopause, which is the exact point when a woman has not had a menstrual period for a full year. During this transition, the body undergoes significant hormonal shifts that cause an array of side effects, including night sweats, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness, and emotional changes.

“Little research focuses on menopause and sex other than the constant reminder that sex diminishes with age,” said Samantha Banbury, a psychology professor at London Metropolitan University and the study’s lead author. “I don’t necessarily agree with that, and certainly, research is suggesting that for some, we remain sexual beings, with or without menopause.”

Past studies suggest that masturbation might offer some relief for these physical discomforts, yet discussions about sexual pleasure as a tool for managing menopause remain surprisingly uncommon in healthcare settings. Banbury and her colleagues wanted to see exactly how self-pleasure interacts with physical health. They specifically sought to test if using sex toys reduces symptom severity by improving a person’s overall psychological state.

The scientists also aimed to fill a gap in the scientific literature regarding diverse relationship structures. Little information exists on how menopause affects people in age-gap relationships, where one partner is significantly older than the other. The research team wanted to explore whether dating a younger person or engaging in consensual non-monogamy might influence sexual function during this life stage. Consensual non-monogamy is a relationship style where all partners agree that having multiple romantic or sexual relationships is acceptable.

To investigate these questions, the scientists recruited 150 perimenopausal and postmenopausal participants through online social media platforms. The participants were all at least 25 years old, as some individuals experience early menopause due to surgical procedures.

Most participants identified as cisgender women, meaning their gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth, though a few transgender men and nonbinary individuals also took part. Most respondents dated someone close to their own age, while a smaller segment dated partners who were at least seven years younger.

The researchers asked the participants to complete an online survey containing several established psychological questionnaires. One survey measured overall sexual functioning, which includes desire, arousal, natural lubrication, and pain during sex. Other questionnaires evaluated general relationship satisfaction, mental well-being, and sexual self-efficacy, which refers to a person’s confidence in their own sexual abilities. Participants also filled out a symptom tracker to report the frequency and severity of their menopausal symptoms.

When analyzing the data, the authors found that orgasms had a direct effect on reducing overall menopausal symptoms. Masturbation using sex toys stood out as a specific behavior that mediated this relationship, meaning it helped explain the link between more frequent orgasms and fewer physical complaints. Participants who used sex toys reported massive reductions in issues like tiredness and sleep disturbances.

“The use of sex toys and the reduction of menopausal symptoms were very interesting,” Banbury told PsyPost. “However, there is no single factor, and adjunct biopsychosocial interventions are favored under medical supervision.” This means that while self-pleasure helps, it works best alongside other biological, psychological, and social treatments guided by a doctor.

Mental well-being also played a central role in these outcomes. The researchers observed that masturbating with sex toys was strongly linked to fewer emotional symptoms, such as anxiety, apathy, sadness, and crying. Well-being acted as a bridge in this process. This pattern suggests that sexual pleasure improves overall mental health, which in turn makes the emotional challenges of menopause easier to manage.

The scientists noted that overall sexual satisfaction helped alleviate local physiological symptoms. These local symptoms include discomfort when passing urine, soreness in the genital area, and a sudden loss of interest in sex. Higher relationship satisfaction and better mental well-being both supported this outcome.

The study yielded interesting details regarding relationship types. Participants dating partners at least seven years younger reported higher levels of sexual arousal and fewer physical symptoms than those dating people their own age. The researchers noticed a similar trend among people with multiple partners. People in consensual non-monogamous relationships reported experiencing more orgasms and fewer menopausal complaints than their monogamous peers.

“I love exploratory research rather than a prescriptive set of hypotheses which stifles creativity,” Banbury said regarding these unexpected findings. “I didn’t set out looking for those engaged in consensual non-monogamous relationships, but as the research developed, so did the visibility of this group. It highlighted the diversity of relationships and how this diversity is often excluded from research.”

Banbury hopes these results encourage a broader understanding of aging and intimacy. “Sexual life doesn’t end with menopause,” Banbury said. “Attraction is subjective and ongoing. The findings also highlight that diverse relationship structures and age-gap relationships are often underrepresented or stigmatized in research despite meaningful differences in sexual well-being.”

Despite these informative findings, the study has a few limitations that prevent the results from being applied to the general population. The sample size of 150 people is relatively small, and the group lacked ethnic and cultural diversity. Different cultures hold varying perspectives on menopause, sex, and masturbation, which could easily influence how individuals experience and report their symptoms.

“There is no such thing as perfect research,” Banbury explained. “This was a correlational design; therefore, there is no cause-and-effect relationship.” Correlational studies can show that two variables are related, but they cannot prove that one variable causes the other to change.

“Plus, reporting bias is associated with self-report measures,” Banbury added. “A relatively small sample size cannot be deemed generalizable to the wider population.”

The participants provided feedback pointing toward 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 individuals who have undergone a surgical removal of the uterus. The researchers note that developing ergonomic and inclusive sex toys could significantly improve the quality of life for diverse groups of people.

Going forward, the authors plan to expand their investigations into how various therapies and relationships interact with sexual health. “At the moment, I have been looking at immersive VR, fractal mindfulness and menopause symptoms,” Banbury said, referring to virtual reality technology. “A recent study also addressed sexual intimacy and mindful compassion in home hospice care.”

“So my interests are diverse,” Banbury added. “I would be interested in examining age-gap relationships in same-sex couples.”

The study, “Sexual functioning in peri/menopausal individuals in age gap relationships: The mediating effects of relationship satisfaction, masturbation, sexual self-efficacy and well-being,” was authored by Samantha Banbury, Beata Pacan, Christine Andrew and Chris Chandler.