No, the available research doesn’t support the popular claim that masturbation lowers testosterone. If anything, the more consistent finding across small studies points the other way: brief periods of sexual abstinence may modestly and temporarily raise testosterone, while masturbation itself doesn’t appear to meaningfully decrease it.
What The Research On Masturbation Itself Shows
Research going back to the 1970s has measured testosterone before and after masturbation and generally found no significant drop. A more recent, small study similarly found no statistically significant change in testosterone in the immediate aftermath of orgasm. Testosterone does fluctuate briefly around arousal and orgasm in some studies, but these are short-term shifts that return to baseline within minutes, not a lasting decline.
What The Abstinence Research Actually Found
A frequently cited study measured testosterone daily during a period of abstinence from ejaculation in 28 men. Fluctuations from day two to day five of abstinence were minimal, but a clear peak appeared on day seven, reaching about 146% of baseline levels (Jiang et al., 2003, Journal of Zhejiang University Science). After that peak, no further regular pattern was observed.
A separate small study measuring hormones before and after three weeks of abstinence from masturbation found higher testosterone after the abstinence period, though the researchers suggested this might reflect anticipation of the planned sexual activity in the study protocol rather than abstinence itself.
Why The Popular “Boxing Before A Fight” Idea Is Likely A Myth
The old belief that athletes should avoid ejaculation before competition to preserve testosterone and performance doesn’t hold up well under scrutiny. Researchers who study this area have described the idea as probably untrue, since it isn’t well supported by the actual pattern of hormone changes involved.
Why The Research Is Genuinely Limited
It’s worth being honest that most of these studies are small, sometimes involving fewer than a dozen participants, and results have been inconsistent from one study to the next. A more recent research review specifically noted the lack of large-scale research in this area and cautioned against drawing strong conclusions, including about supposed benefits of long-term abstinence, from such a thin evidence base.
What This Means Practically
There’s no solid evidence that regular masturbation harms your testosterone levels or long-term hormonal health. If you’ve heard claims that prolonged abstinence from masturbation will substantially and permanently boost your testosterone, that also isn’t well supported; the research suggests, at most, a modest and temporary effect after about a week without ejaculation, not a lasting transformation.
It’s worth keeping this in perspective alongside factors that do have solid, consistent research behind them, like sleep, body weight, and physical activity. Those are far more productive places to focus energy than worrying about a behavior that the evidence doesn’t actually implicate.
The Bottom Line
Masturbation does not appear to meaningfully lower testosterone based on the available research, and claims to the contrary aren’t well supported. Short-term abstinence may produce a small, temporary bump around the one-week mark, but the overall evidence base remains limited, and it’s a good example of a widely repeated claim that doesn’t hold up well under examination.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will abstaining from masturbation permanently raise my testosterone?
No, the research suggests at most a modest, temporary increase around one week of abstinence, not a lasting change.
Does frequent masturbation cause long-term hormonal problems?
There’s no solid evidence supporting this; available research hasn’t found masturbation to meaningfully lower testosterone.
Should athletes avoid sexual activity before competition to preserve testosterone?
This popular belief isn’t well supported by the research on testosterone and sexual activity.
Why do online communities claim otherwise?
Much of this comes from selectively interpreting small, inconsistent studies or from unsubstantiated claims not backed by rigorous research.