The recent shift toward supporting pleasure for perimenopausal and menopausal women — a topic once treated as taboo — has clearly been a major breakthrough for the sexual wellness industry. However, there is an equally important yet often neglected market to consider: midlife men.
For years, the industry has focused mainly on women. While menopause is currently in the spotlight due to celebrity endorsements and media coverage, midlife men still tend to hide their struggles because of stigma. Today, however, men’s sexual wellness products encompass much more than just pharmaceutical treatments for erectile dysfunction.
We can help reshape the narrative around male sexuality, shifting away from restoring unattainable youth and toward promoting sustainable, realistic and partner-inclusive pleasure.
As Gen Xers enter their 50s and early 60s with strong purchasing power and greater openness to sexual wellness, their needs are transforming the market. As someone very familiar with this demographic, I can tell you they represent one of the biggest untapped opportunities in wellness today. That’s why it’s time for brands, manufacturers and investors to approach men’s sexual wellness with the nuance it deserves.
What if the wellness industry adopted a more holistic approach to men’s sexual health — one that goes beyond a one-size-fits-all solution and also includes their romantic partners, potentially doubling the market?
Changing the Narrative
Historically, marketing sexual wellness to men has focused on dysfunction rather than pleasure. It’s time for brands to move away from shame-based messaging about topics like ED, and look at what else is actually going on in people’s relationships and sex lives.
For instance, while their partners experience menopause, men going through andropause are actively seeking better communication skills and help managing changing relationships. They are rebuilding sexual confidence and looking for partner-inclusive guidance that offers tools and resources for couples to grow together.
“Together” is crucial. When brands target both male and female demographics in this age group equally, they aren’t just supporting individuals; they are building a unified market of couples and prioritizing the sexual satisfaction of both partners, who may be navigating menopause, andropause and intimacy after kids or divorce at the same time.
While ED pills definitely have their role in this updated paradigm, there is also room for much more dialogue around emotional intimacy and sex toys as natural solutions. As a midlife sex educator, I teach men about whole-body solutions related to stress reduction, mindfulness, changing hormones and mobility. Pleasure tools like strokers, penis rings and prostate toys can be key parts of a holistic approach to fostering intimacy that is both emotionally connected and physically sustainable.
Rethinking Strategies
For pleasure brands, accommodating this more inclusive narrative might involve promoting premium strokers that emphasize endurance, or penis pumps offering an alternative to ED pills. It can also mean raising awareness that pleasure isn’t solely about the penis, by sharing educator-led content and landing pages focused on beginner-friendly prostate toys and how to access P-spot pleasure.
In marketing, it is crucial to replace performance-based language with stories of reclaiming pleasure in midlife, pairing transparent education from midlife sex experts and coaches with authentic product placements through Instagram takeovers, videos or blog posts. Many brands and retailers feature menopause bundles and category pages, yet there’s a gap when it comes to “Midlife Men” categories to support that content. Besides guiding men on issues like low testosterone and sexual health, experts can also serve as consultants to help companies avoid ageist stereotypes when developing marketing strategies, campaigns and products.
The number of men over 45 investing in premium health tech continues to grow. ED telehealth subscriptions are expanding, and innovations like AI and wearables are becoming more popular. These changes create an opportunity for brands to offer innovative, stigma-reducing solutions for consumers who value discretion. Experts and brands in the digital space therefore have an important role to play in supporting holistic wellness and illuminating the causes or onset of libido changes.
Men at midlife deserve to experience the same positive, empowering messages about evolving desire as women do during menopause. For those of us in the sexual wellness industry, this is a chance to lead cultural change. We can help reshape the narrative around male sexuality, shifting away from restoring unattainable youth and toward promoting sustainable, realistic and partner-inclusive pleasure. Brands that recognize this opportunity and act on it can help shape the future of sexual wellness for both midlife men and women.
Karen Bigman is a Sexual Health Alliance-certified sex educator, an intimacy and menopause coach, and a midlife sexpert for both men and women. She hosts the podcast “Taboo to Truth: Life & Sex After 50.”
