Sex. That little three-letter word brings up different emotions for every woman. Some love and crave sex on the regular, while others could get by easily with only a yearly session. But your body is an incredible thing whose function centers on your sexual organs. So regardless of your current feelings about sex, here’s some surprising news:
Women in the pre-menopause state may want to start signing up for at least a monthly dose of sexy time to delay menopause!
That’s right–sex is good for you!
So, How Exactly Does Sex Affect Menopause?
A recent study from the University College of London showed that there is a strong tie between having regular sex and delaying the effects of menopause. How’s that for a win-win situation?
The study followed a group of nearly 3,000 women between the ages of 40 and 50 for the past 10 years. Each year, the women were asked a series of questions about their romantic relationships, living situations, and sexual activity to track the connections between sex and menopause.
- Women who had sex at least once a month were 19% less likely to go through menopause during their 40s and 50s.
- Women who had sex at least once a week were 28% less likely to go through menopause during their 40s and 50s.
- The average age of the women who did go through menopause during the study was 52.
Although dealing with menopause is pretty much inevitable, it’s nice to know that there may be a viable (and fun!) way to delay the ordeal until a later date.
Why Would Sex Affect Menopause?
According to the researchers, menopause starts when your ovulation stops, and your ovulation tends to stop when your sex levels decrease.
Basically, as long as you’re getting it on regularly, your hormones send a signal to your body that pregnancy is possible (regardless of birth control). And when your body prepares itself every month for the possibility of a baby, you keep menopause at bay.
However, once you hit that 40s–50s point, your body naturally wants to avoid ovulation. This is because ovulation takes a lot of energy and makes your body more susceptible to diseases during that time. So if you’re not sending those sexual signals, your body will send your ovaries’ energy toward other systems and give you the parting gift of menopause.
Menopause will eventually happen to all women when their bodies can’t handle the process of releasing eggs anymore. But if you can delay it by keeping your ovaries in use, it’s worth a shot, right? You know, for “science.” (wink wink)
What Kinds of Sex Count?
Good news—you don’t have to be married or in a serious relationship to cash in on these menopause delays. According to the studies, pretty much any type of intimacy goes to your monthly sex bank, including intercourse, oral sex, intimate touching, and even masturbation. So whether it’s romantic time or you-time, getting it on once a month in any form will do the trick.
Closing Thoughts
Although it’s not 100% confirmed that more sex=later menopause, the results of this study are pretty promising. While the scientists figure out the details, you keep doing what makes your pussy happy. And if that happens to include a little extra TLC each month…you may be getting doubly rewarded!
Sarah Nelson is a nurse with 15 years of experience working with a variety of patients. She has a Masters of Science in Nursing and has spent a large portion of her career working exclusively with women in an OB/GYN setting.
Nursing is a passion for Sarah but she also enjoys writing and sharing her expertise online with people who need helpful information. Treating patients well and helping them learn more about their own bodies is a key essential to a healthy lifestyle that Sarah truly believes in.