Does Masturbation Decrease Testosterone? The Evidence

The Short Answer

No good evidence says masturbation lowers your testosterone. Measured directly, orgasm does not change testosterone in the blood in the minutes around it. A few weeks of abstinence may raise levels modestly. And the study behind the most repeated number on the internet, "testosterone peaks at 145 percent on day seven," was retracted by its journal in 2021.

If you came here worried that masturbation is draining your testosterone, the data does not support that worry. If you came here hoping abstinence will raise it dramatically, the data does not support that either.

What the Studies Actually Measured

There are only a handful of human studies, and they are small. Exton's appeared in World Journal of Urology, Jiang's in Journal of Zhejiang University Science and Rider's in European Urology. Here is what each found.

Study	Who	Finding
Exton, 2001	10 healthy men, hormones drawn during orgasm, before and after 3 weeks of abstinence	Orgasm did not change testosterone. Levels were higher after 3 weeks
Jiang, 2003	28 men, daily testosterone during abstinence	Peak of 145.7 percent on day 7. Retracted in 2021
Rider, 2016	31,925 men over 18 years, prostate cancer (not testosterone)	Frequent ejaculation linked to lower prostate cancer risk

Two things stand out. The best direct measurement shows no acute drop. And the one study that put a dramatic number on abstinence is no longer part of the scientific record.

The Retracted Study

This deserves a section of its own, because the number has spread so far.

The 2003 paper followed 28 volunteers and reported that testosterone barely moved for the first few days after ejaculation, then jumped to 145.7 percent of baseline on day seven before settling back. That single figure became the foundation of countless NoFap and semen retention articles, videos and forum posts.

In 2021 the journal retracted it. A retracted paper should not be cited as evidence, whatever it reported. Even before the retraction, it had obvious limits: 28 people, no replication, and a pattern that no later study reproduced.

What survives is weaker but real: one small, careful study (Exton, 2001) found testosterone somewhat higher after three weeks without orgasm. That is a modest, plausible effect in ten men. It is not a 45 percent spike, and nobody has shown it lasts or matters for anything you would notice.

Why the Myth Persists

The belief that ejaculation drains something is far older than any study.

Ancient frameworks. Several traditional systems treat semen as a vital essence that weakens the body when lost. In South Asia this belief underlies what clinicians call Dhat syndrome: anxiety and physical complaints attributed to semen loss. A 2026 systematic review of the research on wet dreams noted that misconceptions about semen loss remain widespread there.
The feeling after orgasm. Prolactin rises sharply after orgasm, and the Exton study measured that too. Feeling sleepy or flat afterward is real. It is not a testosterone crash.
The fitness world. "Don't ejaculate before a fight or a big lift" is old locker room advice, and there is no good evidence for it either way.
One dramatic number. A clean figure like 145 percent travels much further than "a small effect in ten men."

What Actually Lowers Testosterone

If testosterone is your real concern, these are the factors with solid evidence behind them. Masturbation is not on the list.

Factor	Effect on testosterone	What you can do
Poor or short sleep	Lowers it; most testosterone is released during sleep	Protect 7 to 9 hours
Excess body fat	Strongly associated with lower levels	Lose fat gradually
Age	Declines slowly from around age 30	Not changeable; the rest is
Heavy alcohol use	Lowers it	Cut back
Chronic stress	Elevated cortisol is linked to lower levels	Address the source, not the symptom
Certain medications, including opioids	Can lower it substantially	Talk to your doctor
Very low calorie dieting	Lowers it	Avoid extreme deficits

If you have real symptoms of low testosterone, such as persistent fatigue, low libido and loss of muscle, a blood test is the only way to know. Get it done in the morning, when levels are highest, and talk to a doctor rather than a forum.

What This Means for NoFap and Semen Retention

People quit masturbation for plenty of good reasons: breaking a compulsive habit, quitting porn, wanting more control, reconnecting with a partner. Those reasons hold up on their own.

Testosterone is the weakest reason on the list. Building a streak around a hormone spike that came from a retracted paper is building on sand, and people who do it often feel cheated when day seven does not feel like anything.

What people genuinely report on longer streaks, better focus, more energy and more motivation, is real for many of them, and it usually comes from the changes that travel with quitting: better sleep, less time online late at night, more exercise, less guilt. That is covered honestly in NoFap benefits, and what changes week by week is in what happens if I stop masturbating.

Common belief	What the evidence says
Masturbation lowers testosterone	Not shown. Orgasm does not change it acutely
Testosterone spikes on day seven	From a retracted study
Abstinence raises testosterone a lot	At most a modest rise in one small study
Higher testosterone explains NoFap benefits	Unlikely. Sleep and habit changes explain more
Frequent ejaculation is harmful	Frequent ejaculation was linked to lower prostate cancer risk

FAQ

Does masturbation decrease testosterone?

There is no good evidence that it does. A study that measured hormones continuously found orgasm did not change testosterone levels, and no study has shown that regular masturbation lowers baseline testosterone.

Does not ejaculating increase testosterone?

Possibly a little. One small study of ten men found testosterone somewhat higher after three weeks of abstinence. The widely quoted day seven peak of 145 percent comes from a 2003 paper that was retracted in 2021.

Is the 145 percent testosterone study real?

It was published in 2003 in the Journal of Zhejiang University Science and retracted by the journal in 2021. A retracted study should not be cited as evidence.

Does masturbation affect muscle growth?

There is no good evidence that it does. Muscle growth depends on training, protein, sleep and overall testosterone status, none of which have been shown to change meaningfully with masturbation.

Why do I feel tired after ejaculating?

Prolactin rises sharply after orgasm, along with other changes in the nervous system. The tiredness is real and short lived, and it is not a sign of falling testosterone.

How can I check my testosterone?

With a morning blood test ordered by a doctor. Symptoms alone are not reliable, and online quizzes cannot tell you your level.