Does Masturbation Decrease Testosterone?

There are plenty of old wives’ tales out there when it comes to the effects of masturbation, from claims that it can cause hairy palms to a purported link to blindness (neither of which are true). But what about the claim that masturbation decreases testosterone? 

Contrary to what you may have heard, masturbating doesn’t have this effect. In fact, scientists haven’t established any real link between masturbating and testosterone levels.

Below, we explain the research in more detail and cover everything else you need to know about the effects of masturbation on your testosterone levels, sexual performance, and general sexual health.

Currently, there’s no proven link between masturbation and testosterone levels. In other words, you aren’t “losing” testosterone each time you orgasm and ejaculate. 

There’s only a tiny amount of testosterone in sperm, and there’s no evidence that any significant amount of testosterone leaves your body each time you climax, no matter how much you masturbate.

Rest assured, your hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, a reproductive axis that involves your hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and testicles, is constantly regulating your testosterone production. So, if you ever begin to run low on testosterone, your body produces more of this hormone as needed. 

Overall though, research on the topic masturbation and testosterone has been infrequent at best and limited in quantity, with a lot more questions than answers.

This is in part due to the fact that studying masturbation, sexual arousal, and testosterone levels is quite a complicated process. Not only can testosterone levels fluctuate by a significant amount throughout the day, it's also not exactly easy to get participants in a study that requires refraining from masturbation and sex for several weeks (all while remaining honest). 

Does Masturbating Increase Testosterone?

As mentioned, scientific research on masturbation and testosterone is mixed, with findings from most studies somewhat unclear. Many studies on masturbation and T levels only feature a small number of participants, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions. 

Still, some older studies actually point to a possible increase in testosterone levels from masturbating, rather than a decrease.

• In 1999, a study was published that revealed conflicting findings about the role of sexual activity in testosterone levels. The study’s researchers found that men suffering from erectile dysfunction and, therefore, lacking in sexual activity, had lower testosterone levels than their peers.

The lower levels of testosterone were found to be reversible for patients whose ED was successfully treated, but in patients who didn’t respond to treatment, testosterone production appeared to be consistently lower. This suggests that ejaculating might actually increase testosterone levels, at least for men who are able to treat ED. Still, it’s possible that other factors could play a role in sexual function and testosterone levels.

• A different study from 2001 found that men who abstained from sexual activity, including masturbation, for three weeks showed increased testosterone concentrations. However, the same study also found that plasma testosterone levels (the level of testosterone in the men’s blood) were unaltered by masturbation or sexual activity. This study was also small in size, with only 10 adult male participants, meaning it’s challenging to know if its findings are statistically significant and reliable.

More recent research has also indicated that masturbation might actually have a positive effect on your body’s production of testosterone.

• One study from 2021 found that masturbation and visual sexual stimuli may help to reduce the severity of natural testosterone drops that occur over the course of the day. However, like other scientific research on the topic, this study was small in size, with just 11 participants.

Additionally, a small study in 2020 measured levels of testosterone, cortisol, and prolactin taken before, during, and 10 minutes after ejaculation. Interestingly, they found that testosterone levels increased significantly at the time of ejaculation — and returned to pre-orgasm levels just 10 minutes after.

Low testosterone — commonly referred to as “Low-T” or hypogonadism —happens when your body is unable to produce an adequate amount of male sex hormones, or androgens, such as testosterone.

Often, aging is to blame. It’s normal to experience some decline in your production of testosterone as you age, usually as you enter your 30s or 40s. In fact, it’s normal for total bioavailable testosterone — or biologically active testosterone — to decrease by up to 50 percent by the time you’re 75.

Beyond age, other factors may also contribute to reduced natural testosterone production, including: 

• Reduced thyroid function 

• Diabetes

• Injuries that affect your testicles 

• Testicular cancer

• Problems with glands involved in controlling testosterone levels

• Certain medications, like opioids, estrogen, or dopamine receptor antagonists

• Having obesity or excess body fat

• Chronic poor-quality sleep

Testosterone does a number of things for you. Specifically, it:

• Helps create sperm and keeps you fertile

• Promotes healthy sexual desire

• Lets you get and maintain erections

• Strengthens your bones

• Produces red blood cells that supply oxygen to your tissues

Testosterone is also linked to your energy levels and mood, as well as aspects of your body composition, like muscle mass and fat distribution.

So while low testosterone isn’t a life-threatening problem, it can lead to issues that may affect your health and well-being as a man. 

Common symptoms of low testosterone include:

• Difficulty sleeping

• Weaker bones and more body fat

• Changes in facial and body hair growth

• Loss of muscle mass and strength

• Mental health issues, such as depression and loss of motivation

• Reduced sperm count and fertility

• Cognitive issues, such as difficulty concentrating

• Sexual performance issues, such as low sex drive and erectile dysfunction

The good news is that hypogonadism can be treated with medications to increase your testosterone production or testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). TRT involves using supplemental testosterone to bring your testosterone level back to the normal range. 

Testosterone replacement therapy is generally considered safe and effective, although there are some potential side effects and risks. Our guide to testosterone replacement therapy discusses in more depth how this treatment works, its potential side effects and other things to know if you’re considering TRT. 

Overall, there isn’t any reliable, high-quality scientific evidence to suggest that masturbation has a negative impact on average testosterone levels in men or that avoiding masturbation leads to an increase in testosterone levels.

So if you’ve been worried that masturbation might decrease your testosterone production, you can rest easy knowing it’s not a concern — at least not based on the scientific evidence we have right now. 

If you’re concerned about frequent masturbation affecting your testosterone levels, make sure to keep the following in mind: 

• Masturbating is healthy and normal. There's nothing wrong with masturbating when you feel in the mood for sexual activity but can’t or don’t want to have sex. 

• There’s no clear link between masturbating and lower testosterone levels. Normally, when any type of sexual behavior is bad for your health, the effect is easy to detect in a scientific study. Studies on masturbation and testosterone don’t show any clear relationship.

• Low testosterone is surprisingly common. While masturbation isn’t a likely cause, low T can and does affect many men. As such, it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider if you notice any of the symptoms listed above. 

If you have concerns about your testosterone levels or think you might have erectile dysfunction, reach out to your healthcare provider for assistance and medical advice. They can check your hormone levels with a simple serum testosterone levels test. 

If needed, we offer a range of prescription erectile dysfunction treatments online, including FDA-approved medications like sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra^®) and tadalafil (Cialis^®).

You can also learn more about increasing your testosterone production via lifestyle changes and healthy habits in our complete guide to increasing testosterone.