A groundbreaking new study from anthropologists at the University College London has made a shocking and important discovery: The less sex a woman has, the sooner she will experience menopause.
Researchers found that a woman’s sexual activity corresponded with the onset of her menopause.
The researchers examined data collected by the US Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation. This survey, which started in 1996, followed women for a 10-year period. Each woman in the study was around 45 years old, was married or similarly coupled, and had an average of 2 children.
These women were interviewed over the years about their lives and their sexual habits, including activites such as oral sex, self-stimulation and more. What they found was that women who reported having sex once a week were found to be 28% less likely to have experienced menopause by the end of the study than those who had sex less than once a month. Then, those women who had sex once a month were who had sex monthly were 19% less likely to have experienced menopause by the end of the study then those who had sex less than once a month.
In other words, the body may ‘shut down’ reproductive cycles if it senses that the possibility of pregnancy is no longer a reality. This makes sense, as the human body is built to conserve energy. Ovulation and menstruation take energy, energy the body would rather save if it is no longer necessary.
However, while these exciting results show that an active sex life can help to delay the onset of menopause, women shouldn’t dread menopause.
Yes, menopause brings uncomfortable symptoms and even some sadness, but it is also a time of rich possibility and growth. We need to change the narrative around menopause and help women view it as a natural, healthy stage rather than something fearful or shameful.
To learn more about managing menopause symptoms and how you can improve intimacy after menopause, click here.
Got a question or comment for me? Remember, you can find me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.