A man masturbates; he feels relaxed and a bit tired afterward, and sees a video that claims that ejaculating ‘wastes’ testosterone – the timing is right for the idea to take root in his head
Happily,
his body is not that complicated.
Masturbation can have minor hormonal effects in the short term, but as far as we know, it does not lower the normal testosterone levels in a man who ejaculates regularly. Ejaculation does not drain some secret testosterone reserve, ruin the testicles, or cause clinical hypogonadism.
You are not ejaculating your testosterone
The semen contains mostly sperm and fluids made by the seminal vesicles and prostate, not the testosterone in your blood. Your testes regularly make new testosterone, under the control of your brain and pituitary gland – this is not shut off when you ejaculate, even if a tiny amount of hormones is present in the semen. After orgasm, there is an increase in prolactin, which makes you sleepy or less interested in sex for a while. Testosterone levels may dip slightly at the same time, but it does not cause a serious testosterone deficiency.
What if you stop ejaculating?
The trials looking at testosterone levels after masturbation cessation are small and conflicting – they can show minor surges in testosterone after stopping, but none of them can show that not ejaculating reliably builds up your testosterone levels over time.
If you go a week without masturbation, you will likely feel more interested in sex than normal, as if you’ve been on a ‘NoFap’ binge. You may think about sex more, have more anticipated erections, or simply notice small flutters of interest – all because of the increased sex drive caused by a short break. These are all real sensations, but they are not because your testosterone levels skyrocketed.
Same goes for the ‘NoFap’ energy boost some people report – maybe you were finally allowed to sleep in properly after days of porn fap sessions, or went back to the gym, or simply felt proud that you ‘made it’ through a difficult challenge. Our article about the benefits of no-masturbation looks more deeply into the causes of such feelings during abstinence.
Can frequent masturbation hurt your sexuality in other ways?
It can, but that has nothing to do with testosterone levels.
If you spend hours stimulating yourself before going to bed, you can easily lose sleep and feel tired during the day. Someone who constantly ejaculates when he watches pornography has less novelty in his sex life, which affects his motivation and pleasure. The constant fapping may use a very specific technique that becomes associated with sex, making other types of stimulation seem less interesting. Or people can become so fixated on their pornography consumption and masturbation that they neglect other parts of their life, especially a healthy, partnered sexuality. But again, none of these problems are because of some mysterious testosterone drop due to masturbation.
What if you think that your testosterone is low?
Low testosterone has very few elegant reasons. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, extreme sleep loss, untreated sleep apnea, injuries to the testes or pituitary gland, chronic illness, opioids, and previous anabolic steroid abuse all contribute. For many men, low T is a natural part of aging. But lack of interest in sex or poor erections are not always a sign of low testosterone – depression, stress, strains in a relationship, alcohol abuse, certain medications, and vascular diseases all play a role. Our article on understanding loss of libido goes more into these causes.
When should men get their testosterone levels checked?
It is a good idea if you experience symptoms typical of low testosterone: loss of sexual desire, fewer morning erections, infertility, decreased muscle mass, extreme fatigue, and hot flashes. Men should not get their testosterone levels checked randomly, since the levels fluctuate during the day. Testing should be done twice after a morning awakening, with symptoms suggestive of low testosterone. The diagnosis is confirmed when the testosterone level is below three hundred ng/dL, on average.
Men interested in boosting their testosterone should focus on the known variables first: sleep, resistance training, weight loss, and other problems that may interfere with normal testosterone production according to his testosterone article . There is no proof that semen retention contributes meaningfully to hormone production, and there are multiple documented ways that sleep deprivation and extreme weight gain hurt the testicles’ ability to function normally.
Masturbation leaves you relaxed for an hour, but it does not leave your body deficient in testosterone.
