Feeling a dip in your sex drive, worried about gym progress, or noticing other signs that make you wonder if your testosterone is low? It’s natural to look for everyday habits that might be affecting your hormone levels—and masturbation is one that often sparks debate.
The claim has been around for years in gym chat, forums, and “no fap” threads. But what does the evidence actually show over the short and long term?
Does masturbation increase testosterone?
The short answer is no, not sustainably. Testosterone follows a daily rhythm. It is usually highest in the morning and drifts lower through the day, which is why morning blood tests are preferred when checking testosterone levels.
Research measuring hormone levels before and after masturbation shows only brief, short-lived shifts in testosterone that return to normal within a few hours.
Another study found that on days when participants masturbated or were sexually aroused, the typical afternoon drop in free testosterone was slightly smaller—but total testosterone stayed the same (here’s an explainer on the different types of testosterone).
In practice, desire and masturbation frequency usually reflect existing testosterone levels rather than changing them. Men with higher testosterone tend to report higher sexual desire, which can include more frequent masturbation.
Does not masturbating increase testosterone?
Abstinence does not reliably increase testosterone. A frequently cited study in only 10 men reported a single-day rise in T levels after several days without ejaculation. But the levels returned back towards baseline soon after.
Later, more reliable work has not confirmed a clinically meaningful rise. And one paper reporting a similar effect was retracted, which means the journal has withdrawn the paper because the findings are untrustworthy. If you prefer to cut back for personal reasons, that is fine, but it is not a proven strategy to raise T.
Short-term vs long-term effects of masturbation on testosterone
As we’ve covered, masturbation can impact masturbation levels in the short-term, but regular masturbation doesn’t cause low T.
Short term
- Around arousal or orgasm, small, short-lived hormonal shifts can occur and settle within hours.
- Any change is too small to affect gym performance or next-day energy in a meaningful way.
- If you feel temporarily calmer or sleepier after orgasm, that is due to neurochemistry, not a lasting drop in testosterone.
Long term
- Regular masturbation does not reduce baseline testosterone or cause low T.
- Frequent ejaculation is not harmful to testosterone. In fact, higher ejaculation frequency has been associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer in long-term cohort data.
Where does the idea that ejaculating lowers testosterone come from?
This belief has roots in two places. Some of it started with small lab studies that measured hormones right around orgasm. They showed short-term shifts that settled within hours, but these findings were often over-interpreted as proof of lasting drops.
The rest comes from cultural attitudes. For a long time, masturbation was described as harmful, and that view still echoes online. Large communities encourage abstinence as a route to better health and productivity, even though evidence does not show that masturbation itself harms physical or mental health.
That does not dismiss real issues like compulsive porn use, but it helps explain why the “masturbation lowers T” message keeps spreading despite weak biological support.
Will ejaculating before a testosterone test affect results?
For most men, ejaculating shortly before a blood test does not meaningfully change measured testosterone. Timing matters more. Testosterone is highest in the morning, so test between 7 and 11 a.m.
One exception to know about: if a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is being done alongside testosterone, avoid ejaculation for 48 hours beforehand. Ejaculation can temporarily raise PSA and confuse that result. This abstinence advice is about PSA, not testosterone.
What can help low T levels?
If you’re struggling with symptoms of possible low T, know that how often you masturbate probably won’t make a difference. Other lifestyle changes might, though.
Regular exercise, adequate sleep, a balanced diet, healthy body weight, and stress management all support hormone production, while excessive alcohol, poor sleep, chronic stress, and high body fat can lower testosterone.
For some men, testosterone replacement therapy is what’s needed to rebalance T levels and get their drive back. Order a quick at-home finger-prick testosterone test today to discover if TRT could help you feel more like you again.
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