Just under half of the world’s population gets their period every month. Most of them suffer from various painful side effects, such as cramps, back pain, stomach ache and restlessness. As with so many women’s health topics, these symptoms have hardly been researched, despite their high prevalence. Womanizer’s research shows that masturbating can help combat many of these complaints.
The very first research on menstrubation
In May 2020, Womanizer launched the Menstrubation Study (Menstruation + Masturbation) – the very first clinical study worldwide to find out if masturbation can help with menstrual pain. A total of 486 menstruating people took part in the study over a six-month period.
And guess what? Yes, masturbation helps with period pain.
The research
The study was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Jones, a clinical psychologist and sex therapist. Nearly 20,000 menstruating people responded to the call to participate. The last participants in the study were randomly selected. In the first month, the participants recorded their period pain in a questionnaire. For three months (testing phase) they were asked to forgo their traditional methods of pain management (such as painkillers) and to masturbate instead. Each month they recorded their symptoms in a different questionnaire. The fifth month served as a monitoring month in which they returned to their usual tools. After another month, the last survey took place.
Where does period pain come from?
Dr. Andrea Burri, psychosexologist, founder of the Institute for Sex Counseling and Sexual Sciences (ISCSS) and Sexual Wellness Expert at Womanizer explains: “During menstruation, the uterus spasmodically contracts to shed the lining of the uterus that is During the month it is built up for a possible pregnancy. This causes cramps. Uterine contractions are also controlled by the hormone prostaglandin. This hormone is a pain messenger and is also involved in inflammation. The higher the prostaglandin level, the stronger the menstrual pain could be “.
90% recommends menstrubation
When asked whether masturbation or medication worked better for menstrual pain, opinions were equally divided: 43% opted for medication and 42% for masturbation. The remaining 15% mentioned a mix of heat, CBD (oil), sleep and exercise.
A whopping 90% recommend masturbation for menstrual pain relief, and 85% plan to maintain the masturbation routine after the study.
Demonstrably less intense pain and less pain
Participants recorded both the intensity and frequency of their pain on a standardized 10-point scale each month. The results show that both decreased noticeably over the course of the test. And even more remarkable: even after the control month, the values were still lower than at the beginning of the test phase. The mean intensity in the first survey was 6.7 points, after the end of the test phase only 5.4. This corresponds to a decrease of 1.3 points. After the control month, this value was 5.9 and thus still 0.8 points below the initial value.
The same effect was also visible in the frequency of menstrual pain. On average, the score was 7.4 points at the start, but after the test phase the score decreased by 2.8 points to 4.6. After the control month, the value was 6.7, which still corresponds to a drop of 0.7 points.
Why does menstrubation help?
According to Dr. Burri, masturbating during menstruation has a number of benefits. “After an orgasm, a number of hormones are released, including dopamine that reduces stress and activates inner bliss. This puts other physical processes in the background. This feels like pain relief. Furthermore, the metabolism and blood circulation are stimulated. Both counteract pain. Finally, during orgasm, the muscles contract and relax, which can relieve painful cramps. While these chemical processes are strongest during and after orgasm, they also take place during masturbation – only in a slightly less intense form ”.
Dr. Jones, study leader: “It is remarkable how quickly the participants felt an improvement in their symptoms. After just a month of conscious masturbation, the values had already dropped significantly. In addition, my assumption was confirmed that masturbation also has a long-term positive effect on well-being. Even after the participants returned to their usual methods of pain relief, the intensity and frequency values remained lower than at the beginning. It is likely that both parameters would have been further improved with an even longer test phase. “
All results and the full report of the study can be found on www.menstrubation.com
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