Indiana University’s Kinsey Institute, in partnership with Lovehoney Group, a leading sexual wellness company, and its Womanizer brand, released the first data from new nationally representative surveys exploring menopause knowledge, symptom management, medical care engagement, and health disparities among Americans.
Phase 1 surveyed 1,500 U.S. adults, ages 18 to 88, to assess the public’s overall knowledge and understanding of menopause. Phase 2 surveyed 1,500 women aged 40 to 65 to better understand their experiences with menopause.
The findings shed light on how women manage menopause and reveal significant gaps in medical advice and knowledge, particularly around the use of personal pleasure as a tool for self-management.
Phase 1
If most of those questioned (75.1%) correctly defined menopause as the definitive end of the menstrual cycle, very few were able to identify its symptoms, in particular difficulty concentrating or remembering (13% answered correctly), bladder or incontinence problems (14.1% answered correctly) and sleep changes (27.9% answered correctly). Even for the most recognized symptom, hot flashes, less than two-thirds (59.4%) of respondents identified it as a symptom.
Symptom management
The results revealed that 36.2% of postmenopausal women reported experiencing an improvement in their symptoms through masturbation. However, only 1 in 10 women currently use self-pleasure as their primary symptom management tool. Importantly, almost half (46%) of women surveyed indicated they would be willing to try masturbation to relieve their symptoms if their healthcare provider recommended it.
Service providers have an important role to play. “This investigation shows that self-pleasure offers an effective and accessible tool for relief of menopausal symptoms, which is important to integrate into existing care strategies,” said Dr. Cynthia Graham, senior scientist at the Kinsey Institute.
Conversations with healthcare providers
Despite the potential benefits, discussions around menopause and masturbation are noticeably absent in medical circles. Only 44% of those surveyed said they had ever discussed menopause with their healthcare professional. Of these women, only 5% reported that their provider suggested masturbation as a possible symptom management strategy.
There is no reason for masturbation to remain a secret in menopause care. Women have the right to know all the options available to them when it comes to managing the challenges of menopause, and we are here to break the silence around masturbation as an empowering and effective choice. »
Verena Singmann, Head of Pleasure Advocacy at Lovehoney Group
Reducing racial barriers
When asked six questions to assess their understanding of menopause, white women had the highest rate of correct answers at 55%, followed by Asian women (42%), Hispanic women (37%) and black women (35%). These differences highlight the critical need for targeted education and resources to close knowledge gaps and ensure equitable access to accurate and complete information.
“This is an opportunity to destigmatize menopause and masturbation for all women, especially women of color who are disproportionately affected by the gender health gap and lack of education about menopause,” says Dr. Shamyra. “The more women learn about this tool, the more they will be able to take control of their sexual health and overall well-being.”
Next steps
To help close the gap in menopause care, Kinsey Institute researchers Dr. Cynthia Graham and Dr. Justin Lehmiller will expand on their scientific research on menopause during a two-day continuing education workshop with the Sexual Health Alliance, offering practical strategies for providers seeking to improve perimenopause and menopause care. Womanizer, a Lovehoney brand, will also host a series of free public educational pop-ups with AASECT-certified sexologist Dr. Shamyra Howard in U.S. cities with higher concentrations of people of color in September and October.