Menopause can bring some fairly unexpected changes to sexual and pelvic health.
One minute everything is functioning normally, and the next:
- your vagina has become mysteriously “sensitive”
- lubrication has gone on annual leave
- your bladder suddenly has opinions
- pelvic floor symptoms appear out of nowhere
- and sex can shift from “fun” to “absolutely not today thanks.”
For a long time, treatment for menopause related genital changes and pelvic floor issues has focused on things like pelvic floor physiotherapy, vaginal oestrogen, moisturisers and dilators. All important tools.
But a 2024 study published in the International Urogynecology Journal explored another possible addition to the pelvic health toolkit: the humble vibrator.
Researchers wanted to know whether regular vibrator use could affect not only sexual function, but pelvic and genitourinary health, mental health and quality of life.
And the results were pretty interesting.
So… What Did the Study Actually Do?
Researchers recruited 79 women aged 19 to 80 from a urogynecology clinic. Their average age was around 55, and approximately 61% were postmenopausal.
Participants had a range of sexual and pelvic health concerns, including reduced desire and arousal, painful sex, pelvic floor disorders, urinary symptoms and genitourinary syndrome of menopause, or GSM.
Each participant was given a small bullet vibrator and instructed to apply it externally to the genitals for 5–10 minutes, two to three times a week for three months.
Importantly, this was not framed as:
“Go forth and orgasm on a strict schedule.”
In fact, participants were specifically encouraged to concentrate on using the vibrator regularly rather than reaching orgasm.
The intervention was simply regular external vibratory stimulation.
Of the original 79 participants, 53 completed the three month study.
The Results Were Surprisingly Positive
After three months, researchers found significant improvements in several measures of sexual function, including:
- desire
- arousal
- orgasm
- sexual satisfaction
Overall sexual function scores also improved significantly.
One of the most striking findings involved pain during sexual activity.
At the beginning of the study, 48.1% of participants reported pain with sexual activity.
After three months, that had fallen to 15.1%.
That's not nothing.
Choosing a Vibrator During Menopause
If vulval or vaginal tissues are sensitive, dry or uncomfortable, more powerful isn't necessarily better.
Comfort comes first.
Depending on individual sensitivity, it may be worth looking for:
- soft, body safe silicone
- external stimulation
- broader rather than extremely pinpoint stimulation
- genuinely low vibration settings
- comfortable shapes that are easy to hold and position
- simple controls, particularly where hand mobility or dexterity is an issue
And lubricant can make an enormous difference to comfort.
Truly. We cannot overstate the importance of lubricant.
Passionfruit’s Sex + Health section also brings together information and products for menopause, pelvic health, painful sex and other sexual health concerns.
For very sensitive tissues, persistent pain, vulval skin changes, bleeding or symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause, it's also worth talking with a GP, pelvic health physiotherapist, gynaecologist or other appropriately qualified clinician rather than simply trying to push through discomfort.
And Then There's Lichen Sclerosus
This was perhaps the most unexpected finding in the study.
Six of the participants who completed the study had visible lichen sclerosus lesions at the beginning. At the end of the three months, only one participant did.
That improvement was statistically significant.
Now, this needs a very large asterisk.
Six people is a tiny sample. This study absolutely does not establish vibration as a treatment for lichen sclerosus, and anyone with lichen sclerosus should continue with appropriate medical care and prescribed treatment.
The researchers themselves suggest that increased genital blood flow may have contributed to the improvement, but we simply don't know yet.
Still, it's an intriguing finding and one we'd love to see investigated properly.
And Yes, Mental Health Improved Too
There was another interesting result.
Depression scores significantly decreased over the three months and health related quality of life significantly improved. Anxiety also decreased, although that change wasn't statistically significant.
Does that mean vibrators treat depression?
Absolutely not.
There was no control group, and the researchers didn't control for factors such as life stress or time of year, so the study can't establish that vibrator use caused the improvement.
But it does reinforce something we feel quite strongly about at Passionfruit:
Sexual health is part of health.
Pelvic and sexual changes can affect comfort, relationships, body image, intimacy and general wellbeing.
Sexual wellbeing shouldn't suddenly become irrelevant because someone reaches menopause.
Could Vibrators Become a Pelvic Rehabilitation Tool?
This is where the study gets particularly interesting.
The researchers draw a comparison with penile rehabilitation after prostate surgery, where sexual health devices can be used as part of maintaining function and supporting recovery.
They raise the possibility that vibrators could eventually play a similar role in pelvic rehabilitation.
That's a fairly radical shift from the way vibrators have traditionally been marketed.
Not a naughty novelty.
Not something that requires an orgasm to justify its existence.
Just a device capable of providing regular, controlled genital stimulation.
And, conveniently, pleasure.
A Few Important Caveats
Before we declare vibrators the cure to civilisation, this was a small pilot study.
It had some significant limitations:
- only 53 participants completed the study
- there was no control group
- participants weren't randomised
- vibrator use was self reported
- there were variations in how the vibrator was used and which settings were selected
- the study population was relatively limited and not representative of everyone who experiences menopause or pelvic health problems
The researchers themselves describe this as preliminary work intended to support larger future studies.
So this isn't proof that everyone experiencing menopause needs a vibrator prescription.
But it does add to a growing conversation about vibration as a legitimate sexual and pelvic health tool.
Final Thoughts
This is early research, and there's plenty more to learn. But it does suggest that vibrators may have a place in conversations about sexual and pelvic health that goes well beyond orgasm.
Pleasure doesn't have to be separated from health.
And a vibrator doesn't need to produce an orgasm to be useful.
Although obviously, we're not objecting if it does.
