Is it a “chicken or egg” dilemma? Who knows, but statistics prove that having more frequent intercourse has an age-delaying effect on your body.
“Use it or lose it”. When it comes to sex, you may have heard this common expression and felt it was simply a myth. As it turns out, there’s a grain of truth to it, (scarily enough)!
A study done at University College London found that older women who had more frequent sex experienced menopause later.
To delve into the topic, researchers conducted interviews with pre-menopausal and peri-menopausal women over a ten-year period. They analyzed how frequently these females had sex, and when they started to experience menopause.
It was found that women of any given age who had sex weekly were 28% less likely to experience menopause compared with those who had sex less than once a month.
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For women who had sex about once a month, they were found to be 19% less likely to experience full menopause.
Why does nature differentiate so much? Because it’s picky. Researchers also say it may be because the body prioritizes how it uses its energy.
“The findings of our study suggest that if a woman is not having sex, and there is no chance of pregnancy, then the body ‘chooses’ not to invest in ovulation, as it would be pointless,” said the study’s lead author, PhD candidate Megan Arnot (UCL Anthropology). “There may be a biological energetic trade-off between investing energy into ovulation and investing elsewhere, such as keeping active by looking after grandchildren,” she added.
On average, women in North America experience menopause at about 51 years of age, but it can occur as early as your 30s and as late as your 60s.
Feeling frisky? For more on staying sexually active as you age, click here.
