Porn Addiction in Women: Signs, Causes and Getting Help

Yes, women can develop porn use that feels out of control. A 2020 systematic review of research on women found that symptoms tend to be less severe in women than in men, but no accurate estimates exist of how common the problem is among women.

Research on compulsive porn use has focused mainly on men (Kowalewska et al., 2020), which can leave women feeling their experience has been left out. This guide covers porn addiction in women: what research says, where the evidence runs thin, and what help exists. For the basics that apply to everyone, start with our porn addiction guide.

Porn Addiction in Women at a Glance

Question	Short answer
Can women be addicted to porn?	Yes, in the sense of compulsive use that is hard to control. Most of the research has studied men.
How common is it?	In a 2016 US survey, 7.0% of women reported clinically relevant distress or impairment from difficulty controlling sexual urges.
What are the signs?	A persistent failure to control intense sexual urges that causes marked distress or impairment in important areas of life.
Why do some women struggle?	Studies link it to motives such as stress relief, to moral conflict and to childhood trauma. These are associations, not causes.
Is there help?	Yes. Therapy has controlled trials behind it, but those trials enrolled men.
When should I get help?	When urges keep winning, your use hurts your work or relationships, or low mood lasts most days for two weeks or more.

Can Women Be Addicted to Porn?

Yes. Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder, the closest diagnosis, isn’t limited to men, though men show it more often and most research has studied men.

ICD-11, the World Health Organization’s classification of diseases, lists compulsive sexual behaviour disorder (6C72) among impulse control disorders. Describing the ICD-11 diagnosis, Kraus and colleagues wrote that “men exhibit the disorder more frequently than women, although robust data examining gender differences are lacking” (Kraus et al., 2018).

Porn addiction isn’t a diagnosis in DSM-5, the American Psychiatric Association’s manual, and proposed criteria for hypersexual disorder were left out of it (Kraus et al., 2016).

The terms are contested. The mental health field is divided on whether porn use is addictive (Grubbs, Perry, Wilt & Reid, 2019), and the names for these patterns are widely debated (Dickenson et al., 2018). The label matters less than the pattern. If you keep trying to cut back and can’t, and it’s hurting your life, take it seriously whatever you call it.

How Common Is Porn Addiction in Women?

Fewer women than men report problems in large surveys, and the numbers depend on how each survey measured them. In a 2016 US survey, 7.0% of women and 10.3% of men scored in the clinically relevant range.

In a nationally representative survey of 2,325 US adults aged 18 to 50, carried out in 2016, 8.6% scored at or above the cutoff on a measure of distress and impairment from difficulty controlling sexual feelings, urges and behaviors: 10.3% of men and 7.0% of women. The authors noted that the gender gap was smaller than previously theorized (Dickenson et al., 2018). That measure covers sexual behavior in general, not porn alone.

A nationally representative sample of 2,075 US adult internet users, published in 2019, found that roughly 11% of men and 3% of women reported some agreement with the statement “I am addicted to pornography.” Only 1% of women agreed strongly (Grubbs, Kraus & Perry, 2019). The two surveys used different measures, so their figures can’t be compared directly.

The International Sex Survey covered 82,243 adults in 42 countries. On one scale, 3.2% of participants were at risk of problematic porn use, and estimates ranged as high as 16.6% depending on the measure. Men reported the highest levels (Bőthe et al., 2024). For how many women watch porn, see how many people watch porn.

What Are the Signs of Porn Addiction in Women?

The core pattern is the same for women and men: a persistent failure to control intense, repetitive sexual urges that causes marked distress or impairment.

ICD-11 describes compulsive sexual behaviour disorder as a persistent pattern of failure to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses or urges, resulting in repetitive sexual behavior over an extended period, for example six months or more. The pattern must cause marked distress or impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning. Distress that comes only from moral judgment or disapproval of your urges or behavior isn’t enough for the diagnosis (Kraus et al., 2018).

Our porn addiction symptoms guide goes through the warning signs in more detail. The checklist below is our own set of prompts, not a validated test.

Ask yourself	What it reflects
Have you tried to cut back and not been able to?	Repeated failure to control urges
Does viewing continue despite problems at work, at home or in relationships?	Impairment in important areas of life
Does the urge or the viewing cause distress you can’t shake?	Marked distress
Has this pattern gone on for six months or more?	The time frame ICD-11 gives as an example

If most of these describe you, talk with a doctor or therapist. A checklist can’t diagnose you, but a professional can.

Problems can also show up in your sex life. In a community survey of 14,581 adults, 4,352 of them women, problematic porn use had a moderate link with sexual functioning problems in women, as it did in men, while how often women watched had a weak link in the opposite direction (Bőthe et al., 2021a). A survey can’t show which way the link runs.

Why Do Some Women Struggle With Porn?

Research links problematic porn use to motives such as stress relief, and to loneliness, moral conflict, ADHD symptoms and childhood trauma, some of it specific to women. These are associations, not proven causes.

Motives are one clue. In a study of 2,646 people across three samples, using porn for stress reduction, emotional distraction or suppression, boredom avoidance, fantasy and sexual pleasure had weak-to-moderate links with problematic use. Men scored higher than women on every motive except sexual curiosity and self-exploration (Bőthe et al., 2021b). For the wider picture, see why men and women watch porn.

Loneliness is another. In an online survey of 1,247 people, porn use and loneliness were linked, but a single survey can’t show which causes the other (Butler et al., 2018).

Moral conflict matters too. Researchers describe moral incongruence as the experience of your behavior conflicting with your beliefs (Grubbs, Perry, Wilt & Reid, 2019). In the 2019 US survey above, which included both men and women, moral incongruence was more strongly tied to feeling addicted than religiousness was (Grubbs, Kraus & Perry, 2019).

ADHD symptoms show a gender difference. In a non-clinical sample of 14,043 adults, 4,237 of them women, ADHD symptoms had a moderate link with problematic porn use in men and a weak one in women (Bőthe et al., 2019).

Childhood trauma may matter more for women. In a German online convenience sample of 154 people, 73.4% of them women, women who reported more childhood trauma, especially physical neglect, also reported more severe compulsive sexual behavior symptoms, and men didn’t show that link. Attachment anxiety and avoidance went with symptoms in both genders (Kürbitz et al., 2025). It was one convenience sample, so treat this as a lead rather than a settled answer.

The 2020 systematic review of research on women linked compulsive sexual behavior symptoms with impulsivity, sensation seeking, ADHD symptoms and child sexual abuse, among other factors, but its authors called the conclusions that can be drawn “considerably limited” (Kowalewska et al., 2020).

None of this shows what causes compulsive porn use. It shows what tends to show up alongside it. For what brain-imaging studies found, including a large analysis of women’s and men’s brain responses to sexual images, see porn and the brain.

Is It Different for Women?

Women face extra hurdles, such as shame and barriers to treatment, and the research on women is still thin.

Research Gaps

A 2024 commentary by Kowalewska, Bőthe and Kraus says current understanding of compulsive sexual behavior disorder “is primarily based on studies involving non-clinical samples of heterosexual men.” It lists areas that need research on women, including prevalence, causes, diagnostic criteria and barriers to help-seeking (Kowalewska et al., 2024).

We found no randomized trial designed for women. The randomized trials we found enrolled men: 137 men in a seven-week group CBT trial, 70 of whom received the therapy (Hallberg et al., 2019), and 28 adult men in a trial of acceptance and commitment therapy (Crosby & Twohig, 2016). The CBT trial’s authors wrote that the program’s efficacy for hypersexual women remains unknown.

Shame and Barriers to Help

Shame is thought to be intrinsic to hypersexual behavior, especially in women. In a 2014 pilot study of 102 British women, hypersexual behaviors predicted a small share of the variation in shame once sexual orientation and religious beliefs were controlled for (Dhuffar & Griffiths, 2014). Beyond porn, hypersexuality in women can also involve masturbation and sex with partners.

Drawing on the research literature and their own expertise, Dhuffar and Griffiths identified four kinds of barriers that may keep women from treatment: individual, social, research and treatment barriers. They note that among people seeking treatment for sex addiction, men are more likely than women to seek help, and that the barriers need more research to confirm (Dhuffar & Griffiths, 2016).

Who Seeks Treatment

In a survey of 719 Polish-speaking women aged 14 to 63, 39 were seeking treatment for problematic porn use. Negative symptoms linked to porn use, the amount of use and religiousness were all associated with seeking treatment. The authors suggest that for women, seeking treatment may be driven not only by symptoms but also by personal beliefs about porn and by social norms (Lewczuk et al., 2017). The sample was Polish-speaking and Caucasian, so it may not apply to women elsewhere.

How Can Women Stop Watching Porn?

Start with a plan you can use on a bad day: know your triggers, have a response ready for urges, and tell one person.

1. Notice your triggers. Track when urges show up, such as during stress, boredom or late at night. How to quit porn walks through a simple way to do this.
2. Ride out the urge. Urge surfing is a short technique for noticing an urge without acting on it.
3. Plan replacements. Choose two or three activities for the times you usually watch. Alternatives to porn matches ideas to the need behind the urge.
4. Add friction. Blocking tools can make porn harder to reach. Treat them as one layer, not a cure.
5. Tell one person. If this has been a secret, tell one trusted person, or find an accountability partner.
6. Get professional support. Therapy is one option, and the next section covers where to find it.

These patterns can change. A three-year study of 782 young adults in Budapest, about 40% of them women, found that compulsive sexual behavior scores fell over time, and most of the variation came from factors that shift between survey waves rather than stable traits (Horváth et al., 2026). That study tracked a general population, not people in recovery, so it doesn’t give a recovery timeline.

Where Can Women Get Help?

Therapy is the best-studied option, though the controlled trials we found enrolled men. We found no controlled study of support groups for women.

Help is available even though the research on women is thin. When you contact a therapist, ask whether they’ve worked with compulsive sexual behavior and how they approach shame, then notice whether you feel understood. Our porn addiction treatment guide explains the main options.

Support groups are another option. We found no controlled study testing them for women, so treat groups as a complement to professional care rather than a replacement.

Online communities are a third option. Some are built around strict rules or slang, so notice whether they leave you steadier or more ashamed.

When to Get Help

Talk with a doctor or therapist if urges keep winning, your use hurts your work or relationships, or shame and low mood feel heavy.

If low mood lasts most of the day, nearly every day, for two weeks or more, talk with a doctor. NIMH says that “to be diagnosed with depression, a person must have symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for at least 2 weeks” (NIMH, 2024).

• Thoughts of harming yourself. Call 988 in the US to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The line is available 24/7/365. Outside the US, call your local emergency number.

The Bottom Line

• Female porn addiction is real but under-researched. Women can develop compulsive porn use, but there are no accurate estimates of how common it is among them.
• The numbers depend on the measure. In US surveys, 7.0% of women reported clinically relevant distress from difficulty controlling sexual urges, and about 3% agreed at least slightly that they were addicted to porn.
• Shame is not proof of an addiction. ICD-11 guidance says distress from moral disapproval alone isn’t enough for the diagnosis.
• The therapy trials we found tested men. Look for a clinician who has worked with compulsive sexual behavior and takes women’s experience seriously.
• Start with one step. This week, pick one trigger, one replacement activity and one person to tell.

If you want daily structure while you work on this, the TrueAlly app offers daily check-ins, reminders and an intimacy and mood tracker. It isn’t a porn blocker or a medical treatment.

---

Sources

• Bőthe, B., Koós, M., Tóth-Király, I., Orosz, G., & Demetrovics, Z. (2019). Investigating the associations of adult ADHD symptoms, hypersexuality, and problematic pornography use among men and women on a large-scale, non-clinical sample. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 16(4), 489–499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2019.01.312
• Bőthe, B., Tóth-Király, I., Griffiths, M. D., Potenza, M. N., Orosz, G., & Demetrovics, Z. (2021a). Are sexual functioning problems associated with frequent pornography use and/or problematic pornography use? Results from a large community survey including males and females. Addictive Behaviors, 112, 106603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106603
• Bőthe, B., Tóth-Király, I., Bella, N., Potenza, M. N., Demetrovics, Z., & Orosz, G. (2021b). Why do people watch pornography? The motivational basis of pornography use. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 35(2), 172–186. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000603
• Bőthe, B., Nagy, L., Koós, M., Demetrovics, Z., Potenza, M. N., International Sex Survey Consortium, & Kraus, S. W. (2024). Problematic pornography use across countries, genders, and sexual orientations: Insights from the International Sex Survey and comparison of different assessment tools. Addiction, 119(5), 928–950. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16431
• Butler, M. H., Pereyra, S. A., Draper, T. W., Leonhardt, N. D., & Skinner, K. B. (2018). Pornography use and loneliness: A bidirectional recursive model and pilot investigation. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 44(2), 127–137. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2017.1321601
• Crosby, J. M., & Twohig, M. P. (2016). Acceptance and commitment therapy for problematic internet pornography use: A randomized trial. Behavior Therapy, 47(3), 355–366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2016.02.001
• Dhuffar, M. K., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Understanding the role of shame and its consequences in female hypersexual behaviours: A pilot study. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 3(4), 231–237. https://doi.org/10.1556/JBA.3.2014.4.4
• Dhuffar, M. K., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Barriers to female sex addiction treatment in the UK. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 5(4), 562–567. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.5.2016.072
• Dickenson, J. A., Gleason, N., Coleman, E., & Miner, M. H. (2018). Prevalence of distress associated with difficulty controlling sexual urges, feelings, and behaviors in the United States. JAMA Network Open, 1(7), e184468. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.4468
• Grubbs, J. B., Kraus, S. W., & Perry, S. L. (2019). Self-reported addiction to pornography in a nationally representative sample: The roles of use habits, religiousness, and moral incongruence. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 8(1), 88–93. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.7.2018.134
• Grubbs, J. B., Perry, S. L., Wilt, J. A., & Reid, R. C. (2019). Pornography problems due to moral incongruence: An integrative model with a systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48(2), 397–415. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-018-1248-x
• Hallberg, J., Kaldo, V., Arver, S., Dhejne, C., Jokinen, J., & Öberg, K. G. (2019). A randomized controlled study of group-administered cognitive behavioral therapy for hypersexual disorder in men. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 16(5), 733–745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2019.03.005
• Horváth, Z., Bőthe, B., Potenza, M. N., Stein, D. J., Demirgül, S. A., Paksi, B., Czakó, A., & Demetrovics, Z. (2026). Compulsive sexual behavior may be more state-like than trait-like: Findings from a three-year longitudinal representative survey. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 15(2), 622–635. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2025.00419
• Kowalewska, E., Bőthe, B., & Kraus, S. W. (2024). Compulsive sexual behavior disorder: The importance of research on women. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 13(1), 12–15. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2023.00087
• Kowalewska, E., Gola, M., Kraus, S. W., & Lew-Starowicz, M. (2020). Spotlight on compulsive sexual behavior disorder: A systematic review of research on women. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 16, 2025–2043. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S221540
• Kraus, S. W., Krueger, R. B., Briken, P., First, M. B., Stein, D. J., Kaplan, M. S., Voon, V., Abdo, C. H. N., Grant, J. E., Atalla, E., & Reed, G. M. (2018). Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder in the ICD-11. World Psychiatry, 17(1), 109–110. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20499
• Kraus, S. W., Voon, V., & Potenza, M. N. (2016). Should compulsive sexual behavior be considered an addiction? Addiction, 111(12), 2097–2106. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13297
• Kürbitz, L. I., Schröder, J., & Briken, P. (2025). The role of attachment, childhood traumatic experiences and gender in men and women with compulsive sexual behavior symptoms. International Journal of Sexual Health, 37(4), 695–710. https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2025.2548010
• Lewczuk, K., Szmyd, J., Skorko, M., & Gola, M. (2017). Treatment seeking for problematic pornography use among women. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 6(4), 445–456. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.6.2017.063
• National Institute of Mental Health. (2024). Depression (NIH Publication No. 24-MH-8079). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression
• World Health Organization. (2024). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics: 6C72 Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder. https://icd.who.int/browse/2024-01/mms/en#1630268048
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. (n.d.). 988 Lifeline. https://988lifeline.org/