Does Masturbating Before Sex Make You Last Longer?

In the 1998 film There’s Something About Mary, the protagonist, Ted, is nervous about his first date with his long-lost high school crush, Mary. His friend Dom suggests he “chokes the chicken” before going out in order to ease his nerves. He goes for it, and Mary ultimately mistakes the ejaculate (which he failed to clean before picking her up) for hair gel. Regardless of that unfortunate chain of events, the vignette makes you wonder: is there any value in jerking off before sex?

For some men, especially those who experience premature ejaculation (PE), masturbating before sex may delay ejaculation during intercourse. Masturbation before sex may also decrease  anxiety and increase relaxation (as long as you keep track of where your ejaculate ends up).

However, masturbating before sex can also potentially reduce arousal or make it more challenging to get an erection if you make a habit out of it.

In this article, we’ll cover the benefits of masturbating before sex, whether it can help you last longer in bed, and alternative treatment options to consider if you struggle with premature ejaculation and would like to extend the duration of your sex sessions.

Masturbation is a healthy and natural way to learn what you enjoy sexually and to relieve stress. While some men reserve the solo experience for days when they’re not expecting sex, others masturbate specifically to prepare for better sexual performance later.

Unfortunately, there is not enough scientific evidence to confirm that masturbating before sex can improve your subsequent sexual encounters. Because of this, there aren’t any research-backed benefits of masturbating before sex, such as potentially reducing performance anxiety, lasting longer, and boosting your sex drive.

In fact, masturbating too closely to when you plan to have partnered sex may make getting an erection difficult due to the male refractory period. This timeframe, which lasts for various durations for different men, describes the window after sex when a subsequent erection is impossible due to surges of certain hormones, like prolactin, following ejaculation. While younger men typically have shorter refractory periods and can recover within minutes, older men may have longer refractory periods. However, refractory periods are highly personalized and depend on a number of factors beyond just age.

In addition to considering the refractory period, masturbating before sex may not be the best idea for men who have certain sexual dysfunctions, either. For example, guys with erectile dysfunction (ED) may already find it difficult to get or maintain erections. Masturbating before sex can make it more difficult to have another erection soon after. The same goes for guys who may have less sensitivity in their penis.

A common reason for masturbating before sex is to last longer in bed by delaying ejaculation. This is especially appealing to men who struggle with premature ejaculation (PE) or for men having sex for the first time.

Despite there being little scientific evidence that masturbating before sex helps you last longer, it does work for some men anecdotally. (A little digging around on Reddit will turn up many firsthand reports)

One theory of why masturbation may help you last longer is because the second time a person has sex, it usually takes longer to reach ejaculation, based on the refractory period and decreased sensitivity in the penis. But the tactic only works if the man can achieve a second erection in the first place, which is why it’s crucial to keep the refractory period in mind.

Another common-sense theory is that masturbation can help relieve pent-up sexual tension. If a person has too much built-up sexual energy, they may rush through the sexual experience to find relief in orgasm instead of savoring the experience. By masturbating beforehand, they can ideally release this tension so they don’t have to hurry through sexual intercourse.

How Masturbation Can Train You to Last Longer

In some cases, masturbation can help you develop more control over your ejaculation.

For example, consider Cornell Health’s four-step program for men who experience premature ejaculation. Here are the recommendations for delaying orgasm through masturbation training:

• Masturbate without lube. And make sure to stop before reaching orgasm. Pause and wait for sensations to decrease and then resume masturbating, repeating the cycle several times before allowing ejaculation to occur. This is also known as the stop-start technique or edging.

• Alter the amount or type of sexual stimulation. Again, masturbate without lube, but instead of stopping before you climax, change up the type of stimulation you’re providing (like a different speed or stroke style). This allows you to stay aroused while delaying ejaculation. Some research shows that regular penis root masturbation (in which you stimulate the less sensitive base of the penis instead of the highly sensitive head) may help train men with PE to last longer.

• Masturbate with lube. By adding lube to your masturbation session, you increase the sensitivity of your penis, making it even more tempting to climax. Practice the same techniques as above to continue exerting control over ejaculation.

• Progress to sexual intercourse. Once you’re confident with the techniques mentioned above, you can try them during sex.

Similar to the stop-start technique, the squeeze technique may help you last longer. Like stop-start, the squeeze technique asks you to stop having sex before climax, but the extra step is then squeezing the head of your penis with your index finger and thumb. Squeezing this way causes the bulbospongiosus muscle to contract, thus decreasing arousal and urgency to finish.

Mutual masturbation is another strategy for lasting longer, and it may be worth adding it to your foreplay sessions. After all, research shows that men with PE have more ejaculatory control during masturbation than during partnered sex. So if you masturbate alongside your partner before sex, perhaps you can both enjoy sexual pleasure together for a longer period of time.

Masturbating before sex is just one technique men use to last longer during bed. But there are other science-backed methods to consider, including premature ejaculation pills, behavioral therapy, and more.

Medications that help with premature ejaculation are not actually intended to treat PE. Instead, they are used off-label - meaning a licensed medical provider prescribes a drug to treat something it’s not specifically FDA-approved for.

Premature ejaculation treatments and techniques include:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). SSRIs include the popular antidepressants sertraline (Zoloft®), paroxetine (Paxil®), and fluoxetine (Prozac®). These drugs are the most common medications to treat PE and are prescribed off-label. One theory is that they work for PE due to their side effect of delaying orgasm. In one small study, the average ejaculation time rose from one minute to 7.6 minutes in men with PE who took 25mg dose of sertraline.

• ED medication. Erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation often show up together. PDE5 inhibitors like sildenafil (Viagra®) and tadalafil (Cialis®) help you maintain strong erections, and may also help you last longer by improving blood flow to the penis. A 2017 study showed that a daily 5-milligram dose of tadalafil increased intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT), which is the duration it takes to reach ejaculation.

• Topical anesthetics. Topical creams, sprays, and wipes containing anesthetics like lidocaine and benzocaine can help prolong sex by decreasing sensitivity. There are also climax-control condoms, which contain a topical anesthetic on the inside. Studies suggest topical anesthetics may be even more effective than oral medications in treating PE.

• Behavioral therapy. Working with a mental health provider or sex therapist can help you confront the contributing factors to your PE symptoms, which may include sexual performance anxiety or body image issues. Research has concluded that combining medication and therapy is the most promising treatment option for lifelong and acquired PE.

• Pelvic floor exercises. Research suggests that performing pelvic floor exercises, aka kegels, can help men with PE gain control of their ejaculatory reflex to prolong sex. Your pelvic floor muscles are the ones you use when you stop the flow of urine. To strengthen them, simply squeeze and hold for five seconds, relax, and repeat 10 to 20 times, three to four times daily.

Need more medical advice about treating premature ejaculation? Reach out to a healthcare provider today.

If you decide to masturbate before sex, time it in a way that it's not too close to intercourse, so you still have enough time to regain excitement. Here’s what we know:

• Masturbating before sex may not improve your sex life. While some believe that masturbating before sex can reduce anxiety, delay ejaculation, or increase libido, there is little scientific evidence to support these claims. In fact, masturbating too close to sex may lead to difficulty achieving an erection and orgasm due to the male refractory period.

• Masturbation can help train ejaculatory control. Masturbation, particularly techniques like the stop-start method or using different types of stimulation, may help men with PE gain some control over ejaculating. These methods can be effective if practiced regularly and then applied during sexual intercourse.

• Other options are available. Research-backed PE treatments include prescription ED medications, topical anesthetics, behavioral therapy, and pelvic floor exercises. Combining these methods often provides the best results for managing PE.

You can also browse a variety of sexual health products, from sex toys and condoms to medication for sexual dysfunctions like PE.