NEW YORK — Womanizer has conducted the first-ever worldwide clinical “menstrubation” study (the word is a portmanteau of "menstruation" and "masturbation") to find out if masturbation can help reduce period pain.
The study began in May 2020 in collaboration with Dr. Jones, a clinical psychologist, sex therapist and head researcher for the study. Almost 20,000 people who menstruate responded for participation and the final participants were selected through a randomized process. Over a period of six months, a total of 486 people took part in the study. In the first month, the participants recorded the current status of their period pain in a questionnaire. For a test-phase period of three months, they were asked to forego their traditional methods of pain control and to masturbate instead. Each month they recorded their symptoms utilizing another questionnaire. The fifth month served as a control month in which they went back to using their familiar tools.
According to the company, after the sixth month, the last survey took place and the results showed that masturbation helps against period pain.
“We know that masturbation can have positive effects on health and general wellbeing which is why I have always been a big advocate for masturbation as part of a healthy self-care routine,” said Dr. Christopher Ryan Jones, clinical psychologist and sex therapist.
“It is remarkable how quickly the participants felt an improvement in their symptoms. After only one month of conscious masturbation the values already dropped significantly. In addition, my assumption that masturbation also has a long-term, positive effect on wellbeing was confirmed. Even after the participants returned to their usual methods of pain relief, the values for intensity and frequency remained lower than at the beginning. It is likely that both parameters would have improved even further with an even longer test phase."
Although half of the world’s population gets their period each month and struggle with different painful side-effects, Womanizer cited the gender health gap as the reason why treatments are rarely researched. The company says it ordered the study to help further de-stigmatize and better understand masturbation and the role it can play during menstruation.
The brand says it sees this study as an important step in bringing information to those who menstruate and to continue the conversations of the positive effects masturbation has on the overall health of women.
All results and the full report are available here.
