Worried masturbation will affect your testosterone levels? There’s good news and bad news.
The good news and bad news
Researchers don’t believe that masturbation has any long-term effects on testosterone levels, although it can be difficult to study because most people aren’t willing to masturbate in a lab setting.
As for the short-term effects of masturbation, it does seem to decrease testosterone levels, as well as sex drive.
Abstinence and testosterone
If you’re looking to raise your testosterone levels, abstinence (from sex and masturbation) may help. Several studies have found that taking a break from masturbation or sex of any kind appears to help after a certain time has passed.
- A 2003 study evaluated testosterone levels before and after 3 weeks of abstinence from masturbation and found that after the 3 weeks was up, the hormone’s levels were higher.
- Another 2003 study measured the hormone after a variety of number of days of abstinence. They found that, although testosterone levels didn’t change much between the second and fifth days of abstinence, they had peaked by day seven.
- A 2001 study looked at testosterone levels before and after a 3-week break from masturbation. The data showed that the hormones was highest after the 3 weeks of abstinence.
Low testosterone
Unless you get your hormones checked, you won’t know for sure if you have low testosterone. There are, however, some common signs and symptoms to look for, including:
- erectile dysfunction
- decreased body or facial hair
- low muscle mass
- mood changes
- reduced strength or endurance
- memory loss
- difficulty staying focused
- trouble sleeping
It’s easy to treat low testosterone levels via gel, a patch or even an injection.
Don’t worry that you might have high testosterone. It’s quite uncommon and is more of a concern in young children, who could start puberty sooner than their peers. In addition, high testosterone at a young age can cause infertility.
