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Over the last couple of years, semen retention has gotten as popular as a llama with sunglasses. This is for good reason though, many people (including me and my clients) have experienced life-changing health benefits of semen retention.
I’m a licensed behaviorial therapist who specializes in porn/masturbation addiction and I am going to tell you exactly what health benefits you can expect from semen retention.
Also Read >>> Why Porn Is Destroying Your Life.
But before we talk about these incredible health benefits, let me give you a brief explanation of what semen retention actually is.
What is Semen Retention?
Semen retention is the choice not to ejaculate, whether during sex or alone. Some think it can improve both mental and physical health. It’s an old concept that’s getting attention today.
Is Semen Retention The Same As NoFap?
Semen retention is different from NoFap in some ways but very similar in others. You can not watch porn or masturbate while doing either practices, but you can ejaculate on NoFap, as long as it’s with a partner.
Now on semen retention, there is no ejaculating whatsoever, but you can still have sex.
Just don’t nut.
It is actually encouraged that you do have sex as it will supercharge all of that pent-up sexual energy within you.
| Semen Retention | NoFap | |
|---|---|---|
| No Ejaculation | ✓ | ✓ |
| No Masturbation | ✗ | ✓ |
| No Porn | ✓ | ✓ |
| Can Have Sex (No Ejaculation) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Focuses on Energy & Spirituality | ✓ | ✗ |
| Focuses on Porn Addiction Recovery | ✗ | ✓ |
Ok, now that you know what semen retention is and how it is different from NoFap, let’s get into the benefits of sperm retention.
Learn More >>> What is Fapping?
Learn More >>> What Is Nofap?
the Scientific Health Benefits Of Semen Retention
Now people who practice semen retention often talk about all a ton of different physical, and sexual health benefits they have experienced.
A recent study posted in NCBI said that semen retention was one of the most popular and inaccurate topics on social media, especially TikTok.1
To keep this article as factual as possible, we will try to coverer as much scientifically proven health benefits of semen retention.
Here is a quick overview. 👇🏼
#1 Increased Energy
Starting off with one of my favorite benefits of sperm retention.
While on semen retention, many people have reported substantial increases in energy. This is due to two reasons
- More testosterone
- More sexual energy
more Testosterone
Testosterone is known to affect our energy levels. In a study by NCBI, they quizzed a bunch of guys about why they wanted more testosterone.2
After giving them some boosters, most of the guys said they felt way more energetic.
Later in this article I am going deeper in on how semen retention increases testosterone levels but for now all you need to know is that more testosterone = more energy.
More Sexual Energy
The second reason is the result of pent-up sexual energy that is being stored within your body.
You see, ejaculation (just like any physical activity) releases energy. 👇🏼
Now without proper sexual transmutation, this extra energy can almost be a hindrance in certain situations.3
Signs of being too pent-up are:
However, once you learn how to properly transmute and control this energy, then it becomes a great tool that can be used for whatever you want.
#2 Reboot Your Dopamine Receptors
This is a benefit that I think everyone should experience at least once, as it can totally change your perspective and outlook on life.
There is a great neuroscience study where they compared the dopamine releasement of normal people against those who have sex, and do drugs. Not only reacted the brain exactly the same, having sex almost had the same dopamine releasement as doing cocaine.4
Your dopamine receptors are what allow you to feel positive emotions such as excitement, joy, and happiness.
However, if you overstimulate these receptors, they will become burnt out and stop functioning properly.
There’s no solid proof that ejaculation dulls your dopamine receptors. Yet, most of the time, ejaculation comes from activities that boost dopamine, like sex or masturbation.
So, too much of those can actually make your dopamine receptors less responsive.
When Dr. Gurmurk Singh was asked “Can excessive porn viewing with masturbation desensitize brain, and affect dopamine receptors?” He answered:
Masturbation or viewing will not do your health much damage. However, by your own admission you are engaging in these activities excessively and that can not be good for your mental health.
– Dr. Gurmurkh Singh | Pathology5
If you often watch porn and masturbate a lot, you might have less sensitive dopamine receptors, leading to lower dopamine in your system.
Low dopamine can cause symptoms like:
- Low energy
- Decreased drive and motivation
- Depression
- Mood swings
- Low testosterone
- Erectile dysfunction
- Lower levels of focus and concentration
If you do suffer from any of these symptoms, you should give semen retention or NoFap a try, as they will help resensitize your brain to normal, more natural stimuli.
Now this change will not happen quickly like some of the other (physical) health benefits on this list. Most of my clients only see this results after at least a month or 2. This will allow your brain the proper amount of time to heal.
If you weren’t aware, the flatline is the period of time in which the healing process takes place, usually lasting around a week or 2.
During this time, you will experience some, if not all, of the symptoms of low dopamine listed above.
I won’t lie, it will suck, but it’s a small price to pay for probably the most sought-after benefit of semen retention.
#3 Higher Testosterone
This is the most popular and well-known benefit of semen retention.
Many people, especially those who are into fitness, do it for just this benefit alone, which, hey, I can’t blame them; testosterone is gods gift to this earth.
If you are unfamiliar with the benefits of testosterone, here’s a quick list:
Now, where does semen retention come into play here?
Well, research shows that after 6 days of retaining sperm, on the 7th day, subjects experienced a 145.7% increase in testosterone.6
Yes, a 145.7% increase!
That’s pretty crazy; however, this increase only lasts for a day or 2, as your testosterone levels will eventually begin to regulate and come back down to a more stable state.
But once they do return, their baseline will be higher than before. It’s a great early physical health benefit that will be a sign of things to come while on your journey.
#4 It Builds Discipline And Mental Fortitude
Semen retention is hard.
Dr. Raveendran, who specializes in sexology even called semen retention”
“a method of self-discipline and self-development”
Dr. Raveendran. S. R.| Sexology7
I mean, how often do you have sex with a woman (or maybe even multiple women) knowing that you are not allowed to ejaculate, inside or outside of her?
It’s difficult, especially your first time around.
This discipline, mental health and mental fortitude that semen retention builds will carry over to every other aspect of your life.
I think this is one of the most underrated and overlooked health benefits of sperm retention and should be talked about more when discussing the benefits of semen retention.
#5 It Puts Your Libido Into Hyperdrive
The longer you go without something, the harder you will try to get it.
This statement couldn’t ring more true than for people who are on semen retention.
The longer you go without ejaculation, the more you will crave it. You’ll want sex more than you ever have in your entire life the first time on semen retention.
There is no scientific research that proves this but almost every client I have had talks about said that NoFap or semen retention positively influenced their charisma.
Learn More >>> Complete List of NoFap Benefits.
Learn More >>> Complete NoFap Timeline.
Now be careful, as this hyper libido can give you a one-track mind and may lead to, let’s just say less-than-ideal situations. But, if you can control it and learn to have sex without cumming, this will only be a pro.
You will be an absolute freak beneath the sheets. Your girl will be amazed by your new vigor in the bedroom.
If you’ve had trouble with performance anxiety in the past, well, this is the cure, as you’ll be so horny underperforming won’t even so much as cross your mind.
#6 Increased Seminal Volume
One of the last benefits of semen retention is one that I recently learned from reseach from my friend’s article on Give Legacy (also about semen retention benefits8), which is that doing this practice can increase the volume of your semen when you do decide to ejaculate.
While guys usually resort to supplements to do this, many users report that semen retention can be just as effective.
An NCBI study explored semen retention and found that the longer you hold onto your sperm, the more volume you’ll release when you ejaculate. 9👇🏼
This makes sense, as the body has time to build up to maximal levels. It’s like saving up water in a dam: give it enough time and instead of a trickle, you’ll have a grand waterfall when the gates open.
On the other hand, researchers noticed that after retaining sperm for over a week, the sperm’s ability to swim (known as sperm motility) wasn’t as strong as after just one day.
Sperm’s swimming skills, or sperm motility, play a big role in judging sperm quality. So, it’s a bummer, but we can’t really say that holding back for a week boosts sperm quality.
#7 You Can Have More Sex
As I said in the beginning of this article, people think that getting into semen retention means not having sex. This couldn’t be farther from the truth!
And no, you don’t have to stick to just oral sex. Although performing solid oral sex is something you should definitely learn, when trying to get the semen retention benefits – penetrative sex helps.
You see, sperm retention is not just about not ejaculating.
It’s about retaining your sexual energy and then circulating it throughout your body. So you don’t want to avoid sex. You want to have as much of it as you can and build up as much sexual energy as you can.
On top of that, since you are not ejaculating you will be more horny, and will want more sex than usually.
Now from my experience, the sex itself can be hard in the beginning since you are super excited and premature ejaculation might be lurking around the corner. 👀
Dr. John Gray, author of Men Are From Mars Women Are From Venus, is a practitioner of semen retention in his 60’s and regularly gives his wife the goods 2-3 times per day.
So enjoy this final benefit, because I promise you she (or he) will too.
Side Effects of Semen Retention
Semen retention isn’t all rainbow and sunshines. As I mentioned previously, retaining sperm will lead to “blue balls” and will require a good amount of discipline to not masturbate/ejaculate.
Blue Balls can lead to some sexual frustration but besides that, there is no scientific evidence that semen retention has side effects, according to Healthline10 and Medical News Today.11
The Different Semen retention Tactics
You heard me right. Semen retention isn’t a one-size-fits-all. There are three different types of semen retention and each has their own pros and cons.
#1 Abstinence
This is when someone decides not to have any sexual activity at all.
Think of it like skipping dessert—even when you really want it. What ‘sexual activity’ means can be different for everyone: some might skip kissing, other might avoid only penetration.
#2 Edging
Imagine being super close to winning a video game, but then pressing pause right before you win. That’s what edging is like.
You can achieve orgasms by edging. In fact, research from Medical News Today shows that edging can lead to more powerful and intense orgasms. 12👇🏼
Some people do this to train themselves to sustain a larger amount of sexual arousal before the ejaculate. This ofen results in the prevention of premature ejaculation and helps them last longer in bed.
#3 Retrograde Ejaculation
This one’s a bit like a weird magic trick. Instead of the sperm going out the usual exit, it takes a U-turn and goes back up. It’s not bad for you, but it might make it tricky if someone wants to have a baby later.
(Source13)
In Conclusion
Semen retention can be the answer to many of your problems, both mental and physical.
If you suffer from fatigue, a lack of drive, depression, or ED (erectile dysfunction), I would highly recommend that you give semen retention a try, as you will be amazed by the results.
The only downside is that semen retention does not boost sperm quality, but on the bright side, it doesn’t lower semen quality either.
If you want to know more about semen retention check out this incredible article about the health benefits of not ejaculating for a week.
With that, I’m out. peace!
Also Read >>> How To Become A Sex GOD.
