About one in ten perimenopausal or menopausal women masturbate to relieve their symptoms, according to a study that has generated media interest around the world.

The attention is likely because masturbation is a novel (and possibly somewhat salacious) strategy to ease these symptoms, and older women are often seen as asexual .

So does masturbating really relieve symptoms, as the study published in the journal suggests? Let's see if the evidence stacks up.

The health benefits of masturbation

The study was conducted in the United States and was led by researchers at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, one of the world's best known research institutes that specializes in sex and relationships. The study was funded by sex toy company Womanizer.

Researchers surveyed a repre

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