Today we return to T-Nation and an article on ‘Testosterone and Sexual Abstinence’ that they pretty much got right, well, except for the lame supplement crap they try to pull every single time. Still, this is almost worthy of celebration. So, let’s see what they had to say, and I’ll fill you in as we go along.
“Believe it or not, thousands of young men avoid masturbation (and even sex with real-life women) because they think it boosts their testosterone levels and overall animal magnetism. Many think they’re not muscular or attractive to women because they’ve been “wasting” their manly essence. Sometimes this is called the “NoFap” movement.
Why are so many males suddenly embracing the idea? Part of it may be a noble effort to help them fight porn addiction. Another part of it may lie in watered-down Eastern mysticism: the idea of preserving “sexual energy” and virility.”
Yes, avoiding porn is a good thing, as it’s complete MK Ultra mind-control crap for your brain. It will undermine everything that a man should be, turning him into a drooling little kid with a very distorted view of sex and relationships.
With that said, if you’re in a relationship, avoiding sex or intimacy will do absolutely nothing for your testosterone levels or your psyche, just the opposite – and it will likely ruin that relationship as well.
“There are also some sane – but probably incorrect – reasons for practicing semen retention, among them the belief that abstaining for a few days or even weeks (not months or years, though) results in increased fertility, thereby increasing their chances of making a baby.”
That is very backwards thinking. Sperm is being produced all the time to keep a certain amount available. The life cycle of sperm is between 42 to 72 days, after this, the sperm dies and is reabsorbed by the body. However, it only takes 3 to 5 days to reach the maximum retainable sperm count. So, abstaining for more than 3 to 5 days from ejaculating will not improve or increase your sperm count or chances of impregnating your woman. Actually, if you use logic and common sense, it would be better to ejaculate every 5 days or so leading up to her ovulation cycle if you’re trying to get your woman pregnant, because that will guarantee that there is new fresh sperm available, and not a majority of old sperm that is on the verge of dying.
Does Abstinence Boost Testosterone?
“To date, there’s almost no research supporting the notion that abstinence increases testosterone levels. Quite the contrary, watching naughty movies or engaging in sexual activity appears to raise testosterone levels, albeit temporarily (Van Anders and Watson, 2006).
Another study found that engaging in sexual activity again raised T levels temporarily (Escasa et al.). Likewise, Das and Sawin conducted a longitudinal study with older males and females and found that a higher masturbation frequency predicted higher levels of testosterone.
Then there are the studies on patients with erectile dysfunction. Low sexual activity or loss of sexual activity is associated with low testosterone, while resuming sexual activities restores testosterone levels.”
Yes, and this is important. It’s the sexual stimulation, the intimacy, that increases testosterone and other feel-good hormones. And guess what, you do not have to ejaculate just because you are intimate or having sex with your woman, not even if you masturbate. For some, ejaculating can be draining, simply because it releases a lot of relaxing hormones, which will temporarily make you a bit tired and making it harder to “get shit done.” However, having sex or masturbating without ejaculating will have the opposite effect, it will arouse you, increase hormones temporarily, and give you a little boost. And not ejaculating when having sex can keep you going for hours, it’s quite the workout — still you feel incredibly good afterwards.
“However, the No-Fappers have their research ammo, too. One paper (Hartmann, 2020) asserts that refraining from masturbation promotes stronger mental health. Another reported a peak in testosterone levels after seven days of abstinence. The sample size was very small, though, and the results couldn’t be duplicated.
Another study measured the effects of three weeks of sexual abstinence on the neuroendocrine response to masturbation. They did indeed find that it elevated testosterone, but only by a measly 0.5 mg/dl. Not enough to make a lick of difference in muscle gain or fat loss.”
I would not call that ‘ammo.’ The first study could not be replicated, which meant that it was a research error. The second is totally non-significant, especially when you consider other studies that shows that simply watching sex increased testosterone by 11% while having sex increased it with 76%, when measured 10 minutes afterward. Although the boost in testosterone only last for an hour or so, that’s quite the increase. So, if you’re sexually active, it stacks up.
With that said, there’s nothing wrong with going three weeks without sexual abstinence as long as you still have sex without ejaculating if you are in a relationship. If you’re single, sure, go ahead and try it if you like. Still, you would probably be a lot better off with some stimulation while simply not ejaculating.
What About Increased Sperm Quality from Abstinence?
“Fertility scientists evaluate sperm quality using several parameters, but a review of 28 studies (Hanson et al., 2018) concluded that the impact of abstinence on fertility is complex and inconclusive.
There is, however, some evidence that abstaining for less than three days is associated with higher pregnancy rates, at least in cases of artificial insemination. Other studies conclude that abstinence could be recommended (for fertility) but with a plateau being reached after a few days (De Jonge et al., 2004).”
Yes, that goes hand in hand with what I said earlier. It takes about 3 to 5 days to reach your maximum sperm threshold – hence the ‘plateau’ mentioned by De Jonge.
Does Ejaculatory Volume Have Any Importance?
“Yes, abstinence leads to increased volume. Studies say that every day you wait between ejaculations, you increase your volume by 12%. This added volume tops out after about five days. But more volume doesn’t necessarily equate to a greater chance of pregnancy. Only about 5% of ejaculate is actually sperm.”
Yes, about 95% of the ejaculatory volume is seminal plasma, i.e., other liquids that maintain the viability of sperm cells.
So, still, retaining longer than 5 days will only increase the volume of the ‘load’ a little, but not the sperm count, nor the chances of getting your woman pregnant.
And after that, T-Nation mentions a lot of toxic supplements that allegedly will increase ‘volume.’ Well, the best way to increase the ‘load’ is to eat a lot of meat, engage in long foreplay, and only ejaculate a few times a month. Nothing secret or magical about it.
To Give In or Not to Give In?
“Researchers from UCLA surveyed 587 fapstainers and nearly 30% said they’d experienced suicidal thoughts when they inevitably broke their vows of self-celibacy. These thoughts were preceded by feelings of shame, anxiety, and depression, especially when they participated in NoFap groups online.”
Yes, we’re talking about mental illness here – a bunch of porn-addicted young men trying to abstain from “sin” in a cult-like setting.
Now, if you have a porn- and/or masturbation addiction, the best way is to actually find a woman. That will set your head straight right away. If that is not possible, abstaining from porn and “fapping” might be the only solution. However, it might be a good idea to do it progressively. Also, totally abstaining from stimulation is not good either, even if you’re single. Simply stop ejaculating all the time.
“Obviously, men have different reasons to fap or not fap. But abstinence doesn’t raise testosterone and it doesn’t make you more manly or virile. So, fap or don’t fap. Just don’t ascribe any false medical beliefs to it.”
Correct. The saying, ‘if you don’t use it, you lose it,’ is very applicable here. Going months without ejaculating will not do you anything good, quite the opposite. If you want to become a father, ejaculating every 5 days during the month leading up to your woman’s ovulation will keep sperm quality high. For anyone else, simply relieving once in a while is no biggie. It might actually help as a stress release. Still, sex is just as good without ejaculating, sometimes better, and doing that will temporarily ‘jack you up.’