Womanizer and Lunacopine (sex toy and cup brands) have teamed up to launch the Menstrubation Study. For six months, the brands followed menstruating people to study the benefits of masturbation on menstrual pain and its frequency. Validated by Dr. Jones, clinical psychologist and sex therapist, the results of the study were published earlier this month.

To analyze the effects of masturbation on menstrual pain, 486 menstruating people were questioned and followed for six months. After listing their menstrual symptoms, participants were asked to switch pain medication to masturbation during their period. At the end of the three months, participants were asked to go back to their original pain control methods (like taking medication …) to determine if masturbation had long term benefits for menstrual pain. . 

According to the results of the analysis, 42% of the participants revealed that they had less pain when masturbating regularly compared to 43% who preferred their usual treatments. The others (the remaining 15%) used other methods such as sport, heat (hot water bottle for example), sleep or even CBD oil. 

If masturbation can play a role in period pain, it is because during and after orgasm, certain hormones that have a positive impact on the body are released. This is the case with endorphin, oxytocin or dopamine. These hormones can thus reduce stress and bring a feeling of well-being and thus relieve pain. 

Doctor Alexandra Hubin, sexologist and doctor in psychology, explains it as follows: “ During masturbation and at the time of orgasm, the so-called pleasure hormone, dopamine, is released, which causes a feeling of well-being. As a result, other chemical processes that cause pain are naturally relegated to the background, which is akin to pain relief. At the same time, the metabolism and blood circulation are stimulated, which will also counteract the pain. Finally, when the muscles contract and relax during orgasm, it also has a relaxing effect. “. But that’s not all, in addition to reducing pain, masturbation could also affect the frequency of the latter. In fact, 86% of participants saw the frequency of their menstrual pain decrease when masturbating.