A new study analysing data from nearly 28,000 users of a health-tracking app finds that partnered orgasms are more closely linked to overall sexual satisfaction than those achieved during solo sex, even though women tend to reach orgasm more frequently when they are alone. The Flo Health UK Limited study, published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, used responses from 27,931 participants to compare solo and partnered sex across a six‑month window.
Sexual satisfaction describes a person’s overall sense of fulfilment and pleasure in their sex life, a factor closely tied to general health and quality of life. Previous research has consistently linked women’s sexual satisfaction to orgasm frequency and to sexual variety—the range of different behaviours people engage in. For instance, a 2017 national survey in the United States found that those in long‑term relationships who explored a broader set of intimate behaviours and experienced more frequent orgasms tended to report higher satisfaction.
The study also revisits the so‑called partnered orgasm gap. A 2024 review noted that 38 to 92 per cent of women usually or always climax during masturbation, with higher rates when direct clitoral stimulation is involved. By contrast, in partnered sex with men, routines often focus on vaginal penetration alone, which can leave many women without the stimulation needed to climax.
Researchers also highlighted that prior work on masturbation and satisfaction produced mixed results. A 2024 systematic review found that about 40 per cent of studies showed no link, roughly a third showed a negative link, and around a quarter showed a positive one between masturbation and sexual satisfaction. The authors suggested negative links may occur when masturbation substitutes for an unfulfilling partnered sex life, but they found masturbation more often complemented partnered sex for women.
To explore how different behaviours relate to satisfaction in both solo and partnered contexts, Yella Hewings‑Martin and Adam C. Cunningham of Flo Health UK Limited and colleagues surveyed Flo app users. They tested whether solo orgasms and variety relate to satisfaction in the same way as partnered ones.
The researchers recruited participants between 11 April and 5 May 2024 via in‑app messages to adult English‑speaking Flo users. From 70,424 initial responses, the team excluded those who did not complete the survey, lacked a valid app ID, or failed two attention‑checks, leaving 27,931 participants with an average age of 28. Most respondents were biologically female (98.9 per cent) and identified as women (96.4 per cent); 70.7 per cent identified as heterosexual, 23.1 per cent as bisexual or pansexual, and 81.3 per cent reported having a male partner.
Participants reported on their sex lives over the previous six months, rating overall sexual satisfaction on a five‑point scale and orgasm frequency from never to almost always. They also rated how often they engaged in 13 partnered and 13 solo activities and how often each activity led to orgasm. A weighted score for solo and partnered orgasms was created by multiplying activity frequency by orgasm frequency. Where a participant reported more orgasms in one setting than the other, they selected up to three reasons from 22 options to explain why.
Across the full sample, 56.2 per cent were moderately or very satisfied with their overall sex life, while 19.5 per cent were moderately or very dissatisfied. About 36.9 per cent reached orgasm almost always or always, 22.9 per cent most of the time, and 20.6 per cent less than half the time or never. The data showed a moderate positive relationship between overall orgasm frequency and sexual satisfaction (r = 0.38). Among those who described themselves as very satisfied, 61.2 per cent reached orgasm almost always, while 19.5 per cent of those who were very dissatisfied climaxed almost every time.
The study found differences in how often particular behaviours were performed and how consistently they produced orgasm. Among partnered behaviours, vaginal penetration without additional stimulation was the most consistently performed at every encounter (39.7 per cent). However, clitoral stimulation by a partner’s hand, mouth or tongue emerged as the most widespread partnered activity (90.2 per cent at least sometimes), followed by vaginal penetration with other stimulation (90.1 per cent) and vaginal penetration with clitoral touch (90.0 per cent).
In solo sex, clitoral stimulation by hand was both the most widespread (84.6 per cent) and the most consistent (44.5 per cent every time). Solo vaginal penetration alone was rare, performed every time by only 5.5 per cent. Across all 13 paired comparisons of similar activities, women reached orgasm more frequently when alone than with a partner, with 47 per cent reporting solo orgasms more often, 21 per cent reporting more with a partner, and 27 per cent noticing no difference.
When it came to specific activities, solo sessions yielded the highest orgasm rates with clitoral stimulation using a vibrator or dildo, watching erotica, and hand stimulation. In partnered sex, the highest orgasm rates occurred when sex toys were used together, when vaginal penetration was combined with clitoral stimulation, and when a partner’s masturbatory activity occurred in the presence of the participant. By contrast, vaginal penetration alone and anal stimulation were linked to the lowest orgasm rates in both contexts.
Participants’ explanations for these patterns pointed to both psychological and physical factors. Those who climaxed more often alone cited inadequate stimulation from a partner, less pressure to perform, improved body image, and feeling safer to let go because they controlled the stimulation. Conversely, those who climaxed more often with a partner emphasised emotional intimacy, sufficient partner stimulation, and heightened arousal from attraction.
In examining how solo and partnered experiences predicted overall sexual satisfaction, the researchers analysed 19,469 respondents who had engaged in partnered sex in the past six months. Partnered orgasm frequency was the strongest positive predictor of sexual satisfaction, while solo orgasm frequency showed a tiny negative association in initial models and was not statistically significant in the final model. On average, participants engaged in 7.79 of the 13 partnered activities and 6.45 of the 13 solo activities; greater partnered variety predicted higher satisfaction, while greater solo variety was weakly associated with lower satisfaction. Together, these factors explained about 16 per cent of the differences in satisfaction between participants.
In a separate model focusing on partnered‑sex respondents (20,805) and controlling for relationship status, being in a relationship and greater partnered variety predicted higher overall orgasm frequency, while solo variety was not statistically significant. That model accounted for about 7 per cent of the differences in orgasm frequency between participants.
The study’s authors note that the positive link between partnered climax and satisfaction mirrors earlier work, but the solo sex findings diverge from a 2022 PsyPost report that linked frequent masturbation with higher sexual satisfaction in a broader population. The present study, however, concentrates on solo orgasm frequency and sexual variety among female Flo app users.
Caution is warranted in interpreting the results. Because the survey captured data at a single point in time, it cannot establish causality: women who already feel secure in their relationships may be more at ease exploring a wider range of activities with a partner, while those with unfulfilling partnered sex may turn to solo masturbation to compensate. Sexual satisfaction was measured by a single overall question, which most people may judge primarily through partnered experiences. The large sample size increases statistical power, but may also detect small differences with limited practical impact.
The sample consisted of English‑speaking Flo Health users who were mostly young, White and heterosexual, with about half holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. Four of the study’s authors are Flo Health employees with equity in the company, while the remaining researchers acted as consultants. The authors suggest that incorporating elements of solo sex into partnered encounters—such as open communication about preferences and reduced performance pressure—could help narrow the gap between solo and partnered orgasms. They also call for longitudinal research to explore how emotional closeness, trust and communication interact with physical stimulation to shape sexual fulfilment.
The study is titled “Sexual Satisfaction and Orgasm Experiences During Partnered and Solo Sex Among 27,931 Users of the Flo App,” and its authors are Yella Hewings‑Martin, Adam C. Cunningham, Jordan Rullo, Karen L. Blair, Carley Prentice, Anna Klepchukova, and Liudmila Zhaunova.
