Does masturbation lower testosterone, or does porn? On current evidence, no, not in any way you would notice. The studies people quote are tiny, short or retracted, and none shows that masturbating, or watching porn, drains testosterone, thins your hair, causes acne, shrinks your penis or costs you muscle. If you want to cut back, there can be good reasons. Hormones are not one of them.
This page is the site’s full answer on testosterone and the body myths. For whether your frequency is a problem, see is it normal to masturbate every day; for what quitting porn can change, see benefits of quitting porn.
Evidence strength: stronger for masturbation having no serious physical side effects; early for any effect of abstinence or masturbation on testosterone; early for porn use and hormones. The stories below are lived experience.
Does masturbation lower testosterone?
There is no good evidence that it does. Healthy Male, an Australian government-funded men’s health organization, states that there are no good-quality studies on whether ejaculating affects testosterone. Healthy Male on semen retention. Here is what the three studies people usually quote actually found.
“Testosterone peaks on day seven.” This comes from a 2003 study of 28 men. The journal retracted it in 2021. A retracted paper is not evidence, so the answer to “does not ejaculating for seven days increase testosterone?” is that nobody has shown it.
“Abstinence raises testosterone.” Ten healthy men were tested in a lab before and after three weeks without sexual activity. Testosterone was not changed by orgasm itself, but levels were higher after the three weeks. Exton and colleagues. Ten men measured twice cannot show whether a difference lasts or matters.
“Masturbation lowers it.” A pilot study in eight young strength-trained men compared masturbation, watching sexual material without masturbating, and a normal day. Masturbation seemed to counteract the usual daily drop in free testosterone, while the ratios between total testosterone, free testosterone and cortisol did not change. Isenmann and colleagues. That is the opposite of the myth, but eight men are not enough to prove anything either way.
If tiredness or low desire is the reason you are asking, a blood test arranged by a doctor answers the testosterone question better than a streak. No libido as a young man and low sex drive in men list the causes worth checking.
Does porn lower testosterone?
We found one study that measured hormones alongside porn use. In 568 male college students in China, starting porn earlier was associated with lower levels of some reproductive hormones (prolactin, FSH and progesterone) and with lower sperm counts, and more frequent use with lower estradiol. Testosterone was measured, but it was not among the hormones the authors reported as linked with porn use. Cui and colleagues. It was a cross-sectional study, so it cannot show that porn caused any difference.
Headlines claiming porn is behind falling testosterone in young men go well beyond this evidence.
Does masturbation cause hair loss?
No study has shown that it does. The common type of hair loss in men, male pattern baldness, is linked with genetic and environmental factors and with the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), according to MedlinePlus Genetics, the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s genetics site. MedlinePlus on androgenetic alopecia. The forum version of the myth is that ejaculation raises DHT; we found no study showing that. Nothing in the evidence suggests that stopping masturbation prevents hair loss that runs in your family.
Does masturbation cause acne?
No. The NHS describes acne as hair follicles blocked by oil and dead skin cells, with causes such as hormone changes during puberty, some medicines, some skin conditions, and greasy skin or hair products. NHS on causes of acne. Masturbation is not on the list.
Does it shrink your penis or affect fertility?
No. Cleveland Clinic lists shrinkage or curvature of the penis, a lower sperm count, infertility, erectile dysfunction and lower libido among the myths that research has not supported. Cleveland Clinic on masturbation. Very frequent or rough masturbation can cause temporary chafing or mild swelling, and very frequent or aggressive masturbation may reduce sensation, part of what people call death grip.
Does masturbation hurt gym gains?
There is no evidence that it does. A 2022 meta-analysis of nine crossover studies (133 participants, almost all men) found that sexual activity from 30 minutes to 24 hours before exercise did not appear to affect aerobic fitness, muscular endurance, or strength and power. Zavorsky and Brooks. The studies tested fitness measures rather than long-term muscle growth, and the review found some concerns about bias. We found no study showing that abstaining builds more muscle.
Semen retention claims: what the studies show
Semen retention, avoiding ejaculation on purpose, is promoted online as a source of energy, confidence, focus, “aura” and attraction. Healthy Male’s review of the claims finds no proven physical health or testosterone benefits, and says there is no evidence for the claimed gains in confidence, motivation, memory or concentration. Healthy Male on semen retention.
The same page makes two other points worth knowing. Feeling relaxed after orgasm, or for some people needing a short nap, is normal, according to a psychosexual therapist quoted there. If you feel low or empty afterwards, that is a different question. And practicing retention out of guilt or shame about ejaculation could affect your mental health. If fear of “losing” semen is causing you real distress, talk to a doctor.
This site’s position: going without orgasm for a while is a personal choice and probably won’t affect your physical health, but it does not give you “superpowers.” What NoFap means covers where the community claims came from.
What quitting can realistically change
If you are thinking about a break because of porn, the realistic gains are not hormonal. People describe getting back time and sleep, feeling more in control, less secrecy, and for some, more interest in a real partner. Benefits of quitting porn separates those reports from forum lore, and No Nut November shows how to use a month as an experiment. If you want to keep masturbating but drop porn, see masturbating without porn.
What people describe
Tom, 26, five months without porn, feels torn: “I love the feeling of being charged, sometimes even overcharged,” yet after release “I seem to lose my vital energy.” Read his story.
Josh, 30, came to believe that masturbation made him “invisible to women” by disrupting pheromones, and found a post online describing the same thing. No research supports the idea, but his story shows how heavily such beliefs can weigh on someone who is already struggling. Read his story. Content warning: depression, suicidal thoughts and sexual descriptions.
Lukas, 24, describes going to the gym while trying to stop: “The desire to masturbate decreased, while I gained fifteen kilograms.” Read his story. Content warning: explicit descriptions of sexual material.
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