Most large-scale surveys find that women who masturbate do so somewhere between a few times a month and a few times a week, though the range is enormous. Some women masturbate daily, others a few times a year, and a significant percentage report not masturbating at all. The numbers also shift depending on age, relationship status, hormonal cycles, and how comfortable someone feels being honest on a survey.
What the Surveys Actually Show
National probability surveys consistently find that fewer women report masturbating compared to men, and those who do report lower average frequencies. In most studies, roughly 40 to 60 percent of women say they’ve masturbated in the past year. Among those who do, the most commonly reported frequency lands in the range of two to three times per week for younger women, tapering to a few times per month for women over 50.
These numbers almost certainly undercount the real frequency. Masturbation remains more stigmatized for women than for men, a pattern that stretches back centuries and still shapes how women respond to researchers. Women are less likely to discuss masturbation openly, even in anonymous surveys, and cultural or religious backgrounds can make underreporting more likely. The actual averages are probably higher than any published dataset suggests.
How Hormones Shift the Pattern
For women who menstruate, desire and masturbation frequency aren’t constant throughout the month. They tend to peak around ovulation, roughly 14 days after the first day of a period, when estrogen levels are at their highest. The week after a period ends, as estrogen climbs toward that ovulation peak, is when many women notice a sharp increase in arousal. A second, smaller spike often shows up in the days before menstruation begins.
This means that a woman who masturbates “a few times a week on average” might actually go a full week without it and then have several days in a row where the urge is strong. Averages flatten out a pattern that, for many women, is genuinely cyclical.
How Relationships Change the Frequency
Being in a relationship doesn’t necessarily reduce how often women masturbate, but it does change what drives it. Research published in the journal Social Sciences found that masturbation frequency in partnered women depends more on how satisfied they are with the quality of their sex life than on how often they’re having sex. A woman having sex three times a week but finding it unfulfilling may masturbate more than a woman having sex once a week who finds it deeply satisfying.
Researchers describe this as a “compensatory model”: solo sex fills the gap when partnered sex isn’t meeting someone’s needs. For single women, the association is more straightforward. Higher desire generally means more frequent masturbation, without the added variable of another person’s availability or compatibility.
Solo Orgasms Are Faster and More Reliable
One reason masturbation stays a consistent part of many women’s sexual lives, even in happy relationships, is that orgasms come more easily alone. Women reach orgasm in about 8 minutes on average during masturbation, compared to 14 minutes during partnered sex. The gap isn’t just about time. Many women who struggle to orgasm with a partner have no difficulty on their own, because they can control the pace, pressure, and type of stimulation precisely.
This reliability reinforces the habit. When something consistently produces a pleasurable result in under 10 minutes, it tends to become a regular part of someone’s routine.
Vibrators and Other Tools
Sex toy use is common and appears to increase both orgasm rates and desire. A study from The Menopause Society looking at women 60 and older found that over 56 percent had used sex toys during masturbation at least occasionally. Among those who used toys almost every time, about 84 percent reported consistently reaching orgasm, compared to roughly 74 percent of women who never used them.
Interestingly, women who used toys more frequently were also more likely to say they wanted more sex overall. About 56 percent of frequent toy users desired more sexual activity, compared to 41 percent of those who never used toys. Rather than replacing desire, vibrators and similar devices seem to amplify it.
Physical and Mental Health Effects
Orgasm triggers the release of dopamine and oxytocin, two hormones that produce feelings of pleasure and relaxation. These hormones also counteract cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, which is part of why masturbation can feel like such an effective way to unwind. The drop in cortisol and the flood of oxytocin also help explain its effect on sleep. Many women report falling asleep faster after masturbating, and clinical research supports the connection between orgasm and improved sleep quality.
Beyond stress and sleep, regular masturbation helps women stay familiar with their own arousal patterns and preferences. This self-knowledge tends to improve partnered sex as well, because women who understand what works for their own bodies can communicate that to a partner more effectively.
Why “Normal” Is a Wide Range
There is no medically recommended frequency. A woman who masturbates daily and a woman who masturbates once a month are both within the range of typical behavior. The only point where frequency becomes a concern is when it interferes with daily responsibilities, causes physical soreness, or feels compulsive rather than enjoyable.
What shifts frequency the most over a lifetime tends to be practical: stress levels, relationship satisfaction, hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause, medication side effects (particularly from antidepressants), and simply having enough privacy and time. The “average” is a statistical construct layered on top of lives that don’t hold still.