- Semen retention is the act of denying ejaculation by abstinence or edging.
- Many people claim that it has a number of benefits like increased testosterone or fertility.
While many people with penises enjoy the sensation and release they experience during an orgasm, some penis-owners are purposely denying themselves of ejaculating.
In the news: There have been lots of celebrity proponents of semen retention including rapper Joey Badass and Love is Blind contestant Andrew Liu, who refered to the practice on the show as "sexual kung fu."
Although this idea may seem new to you, the concept has been around since ancient times. For example, ancient Indians considered semen a precious substance, and viewed the loss of semen as a threat to their health.
Today, while browsing Reddit or TikTok, you might come across people passionate about semen retention, claiming that avoiding ejaculation has brought them health benefits –– but is there actual science behind this?
Here's what you need to know about semen retention and its potential benefits and risks.
What is semen retention?
Semen retention is when you avoid ejaculation — either by abstaining from sexual activity or cutting it off before orgasm, says Dr. Justin Dubin, men's health specialist and urologist at Memorial Healthcare System.
Though completely giving up sex and masturbation is one sure-fire way to practice this, edging also "retains" semen in the body.
The idea of edging is that you cut off sexual activity before you ejaculate, says Dr. David Shin, chief of the Center for Sexual Health & Fertility in the Department of Urology at Hackensack University Medical Center.
The key difference between edging and semen retention is that in some instances of edging, the person or their partner will eventually ejaculate, whereas with semen retention ejaculation never occurs.
Are there benefits to semen retention?
Browsing on social media, you'll come across a slew of purported physical benefits such as greater overall health, improved fertility levels, and higher testosterone levels, Dubin says.
People may also claim mental benefits such as better memory and reduced anxiety, or spiritual benefits such as a greater sense of purpose or deeper bonds with their sexual partner, says Shin.
The problem is that these claims are anecdotal, and there's a ton of misinformation online surrounding men's health topics such as semen retention.
Dubin recently conducted a study looking at the prevalence and accuracy of men's health topics on social media and found that amongst these topics, semen retention was the most popular and least accurate topic on TikTok. Unsurprisingly, most of the people hawking the benefits of edging are not medical professionals.
Solid evidence is lacking to back up any of the lofty claims that are made about better physical and mental health. Studies that point to a potential raise in testosterone levels due to semen retention are dated (from the early 2000s) and of a small sample size. Dubin says these studies are not adequate evidence.
Risks of semen retention
Semen retention isn't necessarily dangerous, but there are potential risks.
"Not ejaculating can lead to feelings of pain, discomfort, heaviness, or aching in the testicles. This is known as 'blue balls' or 'epididymal hypertension,'" Shin says. However, this doesn't put you in danger or increase your risk for any health conditions, as some myths may suggest.
Another potential risk is that retaining your semen and letting it sit stagnant for too long can potentially compromise semen quality, Dubin says. This is mainly a concern if you are in the process of trying to conceive.
Furthermore, by denying yourself ejaculation you're missing out on the health benefits of having an orgasm, like stress relief and the release of feel-good chemicals like endorphins, serotonin, and oxytocin, says Dubin.
There is far more research to back up the benefits of orgasms versus the benefits of depriving yourself of it.
How to practice semen retention
Keeping in mind that there's no sound scientific basis for semen retention, if you still want to practice it, here are two ways to do it:
1. Pause and squeeze method: "Pause and squeeze" is typically recommended for people struggling with premature ejaculation who want to last longer in bed, Dubin says. To practice this, once you feel like you're getting close to orgasm, you stop stimulation and squeeze your penis for several seconds until the sensation passes.
2. Ballooning: This method involves kegel exercises. When you feel close to ejaculation, you stop stimulation and then perform kegels, essentially tightening the muscles used to stop ejaculation midstream, holding the contraction for a few seconds, and then relaxing, says Shin.
Insider's takeaway
Semen retention is when you do not ejaculate, whether during masturbation or partnered sexual activity, or from abstaining altogether. While many people online may claim to have experienced benefits from semen retention, the practice lacks hard science or research to match.
Ultimately, both Dubin and Shin say there isn't enough scientific evidence to suggest any definite benefits of semen retention.