OTTAWA, Ontario — Last month, in honor of Masturbation Month, premium sex toy brand Womanizer launched the Menstrubation Initiative ((Menstru(ation) + (Mastur)bation), a global clinical study that attempts to answer the question: can orgasms reliably relieve period pain?
"The lack of studies on women’s health motivated us to take matters into our own hands,” Johanna Rief, head of sexual empowerment at Womanizer. “We know that a fulfilled sex life, whether solo or with another person, has many positive effects and now it's time to expand this knowledge to menstruation and pain relief. Our products are ideal if you want to masturbate during your period because most Womanizer models aren't inserted inside the body. This is especially helpful if people are wearing something like a menstrual cup or tampon.”
At the beginning of May, Womanizer announced the Menstrubation Initiative, combined with a public call for interested parties aged 18 and over to register for the study via Menstrubation.com.
According to the company, within the first 24 hours, 6,000 people registered, and by the deadline on May 31, there were nearly 20,000 registrants. People from over 100 countries signed up for a chance to participate, from Afghanistan to Uruguay.
The final 1,000 participants will be selected at random, and over the course of three months they will be asked to masturbate to counteract their menstrual pain and document their experience. In return, the study participants receive a Womanizer Starlet 2. In addition, they will receive products from the Menstrubation Initiative’s partners Lunette or The Female Company.
Finnish company Lunette is supplying menstrual cups to participants in North America, Australia, Asia and most of Europe. Lunette has been selling menstrual cups since 2005 and remains committed to both sustainability and breaking down social stigma associated with menstruation.
In German-speaking countries, Womanizer is working with The Female Company, a German start-up that produces sustainable period products made of organic cotton and has attracted worldwide attention with its “Tampon Book” and international PR awards.
The global study is being conducted by leading experts to ensure that it meets scientific standards, the company said. One such expert is American psychologist and sex therapist Dr. Christopher Ryan Jones, who currently teaches at the University of Mainz.
“We know that masturbation can have different positive effects on health and general well-being,” Jones said. “This includes pain relief from migraines and menstruation, for example. While there are studies that casually document the benefits of masturbation for period pain, there have been no studies that are fully dedicated to this goal. The Menstrubation Initiative is the first global survey of its kind and will provide us with valuable results. Womanizer and their partners are truly providing an incredible opportunity by initiating a long-overdue study like this.”
For more information about the study, click here.
