How does masturbation frequency vary by age and menopausal status in representative samples?
Executive summary
Representative studies indicate that masturbation frequency generally declines with chronological age and after the menopause transition for many women, but the pattern is nuanced: some studies find an increase in solo sexual activity during early perimenopause and a preserved capacity for orgasm postmenopausally, and hormonal, relational, and psychosocial factors all shape the observed changes [1] [2] [3].
1. Representative cross‑sectional snapshot: Kinsey/US sample (ages 40–65)
A nationally representative online survey of 1,500 U.S. women aged 40–65 found significant differences by menopausal stage: postmenopausal women were less likely to report masturbating in the past year and rated masturbation as less important compared with premenopausal and perimenopausal women, with postmenopausal participants reporting lower masturbation frequency overall [2] [4] [3].
2. Longitudinal nuance: SWAN (midlife trajectory across menopause)
Longitudinal evidence from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) complicates a simple age-only story: SWAN reported that masturbation increased in early perimenopause relative to premenopause but then declined after menopause, and that menopausal stage effects on masturbation could change after adjustment for age and other covariates, indicating an interplay between chronological aging, stage of transition, and contextual factors [1] [5].
3. Hormones, menopause stage, and subtle associations
Analyses linking serum reproductive hormones to sexual function show modest associations: follicle‑stimulating hormone (FSH) and some other hormonal markers have been associated with masturbation frequency, arousal, and orgasm in multivariable models, but estradiol (E2) was not consistently linked to most sexual domains, suggesting that menopausal stage effects on masturbation are not explained solely by simple sex‑steroid declines [6] [7].
4. Broader population patterns across ages and countries
Broader representative surveys across the lifespan show the expected age gradient—higher masturbation prevalence in younger women and lower in older age groups—but solitary sexual activity persists into later life for many: nationally representative U.S. data report higher past‑month masturbation in younger cohorts (20–29) and lower but non‑zero rates in older adults (including 12% of women over 70 reporting past‑month masturbation in one survey), while European studies of older adults likewise find variability by country, relationship status, health, and attitudes [8] [9].
5. What remains similar across ages: orgasm and sex‑toy use
Despite lower reported frequency among some postmenopausal women, representative studies report that orgasm during masturbation remains common across menopausal stages—one Kinsey study found an average of about 81% of masturbation episodes ending in orgasm regardless of stage—and sex‑toy use rates were similar across pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal groups [10] [3].
6. Drivers, caveats, and research limits
Observed declines in masturbation frequency with age or postmenopause are entangled with relationship status, importance placed on sex, health, psychological functioning, vaginal symptoms, and sociocultural factors; SWAN and other work emphasize that psychosocial covariates often explain as much variance as menopausal stage itself, and authors note gaps such as limited diversity in some samples and the need for more qualitative work to understand motives and barriers [1] [11] [3].
7. Bottom line for interpretation
Representative data converge on a pattern: masturbation frequency tends to decline with older age and after menopause for many women, yet early perimenopause can show an uptick, orgasmic capability and use of sex toys often remain stable, and hormonal associations are modest—therefore, the menopause transition influences solo sexual activity but is only one of several interacting determinants documented in representative samples [2] [1] [6].