A Study Says that Regular Intimacy in Middle Age can Help in Delaying Menopause

As per the results of a 10-year study, Women who involved in regular sexual activity may experience menopause later in life than those who don’t.

The study says, “Women who reported weekly physical intimacy over a decade were about 28% less likely to experience menopause than women who reported less-than-monthly sexual activity.”

As per the study, the reason behind this might be the response of the body towards evolutionary pressures. The lead author of the study, Megan Arnot said, if a person is not sexually active in midlife, then it will not be possible for the body to receive the physical cues of a probable pregnancy. She further said that while experiencing the symptoms of perimenopause most women don’t feel like having sex but an adjustment between sustained ovulation and stopping can easily be made. 

In simple words, she explained, “if you’re not having sex, then you’re not going to get pregnant, so there’d be little point in maintaining ovulatory function. She further clarified, ovulation calls for a lot of energy from the body and can also impact the immune system. So, there may be a point in life where it’s better off to stop ovulating and invest your energy elsewhere if you’re not going to have a baby (because you’re not having sex).

The insights of the study

The study focuses on approximately 3000 women, out of which, 46% were experiencing some symptoms of perimenopause while 54% were not suffering from any symptoms. These women were involved in sexual activity on the duration of weekly, monthly or less than a month. The accurate connection between sex and menopause was not defined by the study but it shows that there is a direct connection between the regularity of sex and the beginning of menopause. Over the study of 10 years, the stats of women who entered the stage of menopause was 45% and at an average age of 52.

Can more sexual activity stave off menopause?

There are no pieces of evidence that show that more sexual activity can turn back the symptoms of menopause. Be it forties or fifties- there are no pieces of proof that more intimacy can push back menopause.  However, women who experience a delay in menopause are more comfortable and feel less irritation due to the more estrogen and it helps in keeping vaginal distresses at bay.

Generally, women experience menopause in the age of mid-40s or early 50s. It happens when the ovaries discontinue creating estrogen and progesterone and menstrual cycles completely end for 12 months. Hot flashes, fatigue, headaches, abdominal cramps, pains and discomforts are all common during menopause.

Footnote

Across cultures, various studies show that there could be a noticeable variation in the age of entering the stage of natural menopause. Genetic factors may play a huge role but more researches will be required to support the relationship between genetics, regular intimacy and menopause.