---
title: "No Nut November: What Semen Retention Really Does"
description: "The promised benefits of No Nut November are barely backed by research. Covers testosterone studies, prostate health, blue balls, shame and edging."
url: https://gay-blog.tomrockets.com/en/no-nut-november/
date_published: 2026-10-26
date_modified: 2026-10-26
---
# No Nut November: What Semen Retention Really Does

## Table of Contents

- [Where No Nut November Comes From and How It Relates to NoFap](#h-where-no-nut-november-comes-from-and-how-it-relates-to-nofap)
- [Does No Nut November Raise Testosterone? What the Studies Measured](#h-does-no-nut-november-raise-testosterone-what-the-studies-measured)
- [No Nut November, Prostate Health and Sperm: What the Research Shows](#h-no-nut-november-prostate-health-and-sperm-what-the-research-shows)
- [Does NoFap Really Work? What Courses and Social Media Promise About Semen Retention](#h-does-nofap-really-work-what-courses-and-social-media-promise-about-semen-retention)
- [When No Nut November Turns Into Pressure: Shame, Relapse and Distress](#h-when-no-nut-november-turns-into-pressure-shame-relapse-and-distress)
- [Blue Balls During No Nut November: What Causes the Ache](#h-blue-balls-during-no-nut-november-what-causes-the-ache)
- [Porn, Death Grip and No Nut November: What Is Known About Taking a Break](#h-porn-death-grip-and-no-nut-november-what-is-known-about-taking-a-break)
- [Edging as an Alternative to No Nut November: What the Studies Say](#h-edging-as-an-alternative-to-no-nut-november-what-the-studies-say)

No Nut November, or NNN for short, is an internet challenge of sexual abstinence in which men don't masturbate for the whole of November. A related term popular on social media is semen retention: deliberately ejaculating less often. Some participants claim health benefits from it. The research barely backs that up. Studies on abstinence are small, short or do not measure hormones, and no study is known that looked at whether a month off changes testosterone, prostate health or sperm. Masturbation is a normal part of sexuality. Whether you take part is your call.

## Where No Nut November Comes From and How It Relates to NoFap

No Nut November, according to Wikipedia, began in 2011 as an internet challenge originally meant as satire and has spread among men on social media since 2017. Where exactly it started is less clear. Men's Health called the exact origin unclear in 2019 and, citing the website KnowYourMeme, traced the challenge to an Urban Dictionary entry from 3 November 2011. A search of Urban Dictionary in October 2026, however, returned 19 November 2017 as the oldest retrievable entry for No Nut November.

The breakthrough, Men's Health reported, came with a tweet on 1 November 2017 that gathered upwards of 33,100 points in a Reddit forum. Wikipedia writes that the forum r/NoNutNovember grew from 16,500 subscribers in November 2018 to 52,000 a year later. In the German Wikipedia, the forum had more than 134,000 subscribers in November 2022. According to the English Wikipedia, a counterpart called "Destroy Dick December" appeared in 2017.

Wikipedia also lists Locktober as a related challenge, "a kink-focused chastity challenge that takes place during October, involving abstinence and physical devices". For the kink side of it, the blog has a separate guide to [chastity during Locktober](https://gay-blog.tomrockets.com/en/locktober-chastity/).

NoFap is an anti-porn subreddit, as Rolling Stone described it in 2019. Men's Health and Wikipedia both record its launch on 20 June 2011.

Whether NNN belongs to NoFap is disputed. The English Wikipedia associates the challenge with the NoFap community. Matthew Plummer, a NoFap community manager, told Rolling Stone in 2019 that No Nut November has no connection to NoFap, though the two are often conflated and NoFap sometimes posts #NNN memes. Men's Health considers it possible that the person behind the 2011 Urban Dictionary entry was also a member of the NoFap subreddit.

## Does No Nut November Raise Testosterone? What the Studies Measured

No measurement of testosterone over a month of No Nut November is known. Only two small studies with hormone measurements are known, and the first study of the challenge itself did not measure hormones.

| Study | Participants | Duration | Result | Limitation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jiang (2002) and Jiang and colleagues (2003, English version) | 28 men | daily measurement after one ejaculation; total duration not stated in the abstract | peak on day 7 at 145.7% of baseline, no regular pattern afterwards | English version retracted in 2021; age and control group not stated in the abstract |
| Exton and colleagues (2001) | 10 healthy men | measured before and after 3 weeks of sexual abstinence | higher testosterone after the break; orgasm itself did not change the level | control group, figures and normal range not stated in the abstract |
| Garas, Levang and Pukall (2025) | 435 respondents before and 114 after November | one No Nut November | no significant difference in sexual wellbeing over the period of abstinence compared with non-participants | self-report, self-selected participation, hormones not measured |

Wikipedia writes that Alexander Rhodes founded NoFap after reading a Reddit thread about a 2003 testosterone study. Going by year and figure, that is the Jiang study, a match Wikipedia does not make. The English version was retracted because it overlaps significantly with a previously published Chinese article by Jiang (2002); PubMed does not list the Chinese version as retracted.

In the study by Garas, Levang and Pukall, NNN participants reported more sexual flexibility than respondents who had never taken part. The authors suggest this may be associated with a willingness to try different trends and sexual practices. More long-term research is needed, they write.

Other claims about masturbation are checked in [Common Masturbation Myths: Can You Do It Wrong?](https://gay-blog.tomrockets.com/en/wrong-jerking-o/).

## No Nut November, Prostate Health and Sperm: What the Research Shows

Two analyses of the same large US study found no higher prostate cancer risk among men who ejaculate often, and sperm labs work with breaks of only a few days. None of this research looked at a month of abstinence.

| Study | Participants | Duration | Result | Limitation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Leitzmann and colleagues (2004) | 29,342 US men aged 46 to 81 | questionnaire 1992, follow-up to 2000 | 1,449 new prostate cancer cases; with 21 or more ejaculations a month, averaged over life, prostate cancer was less common than with 4 to 7; no clear link for advanced prostate cancer | observational study, frequency self-reported in hindsight |
| Rider and colleagues (2016) | 31,925 men from the same study group | follow-up to 2010 | 3,839 prostate cancer cases; with 21 or more ejaculations a month, prostate cancer was less common than with 4 to 7, mainly low-risk prostate cancer | observational study, health professionals only |
| Levitas and colleagues (2005) | 9,489 semen samples from 6,008 patients of a fertility unit | analysis by days without ejaculation | in samples with normal sperm values, motility and normal shape fell on days 11 to 14 | fertility patients, retrospective analysis |

Both analyses are observational: they work with what men report about themselves and do not assign anyone to a group. They compared men who ejaculate often with men who do so less often, not a break with no break. In Leitzmann's study, ejaculation included sex, wet dreams and masturbation. Such a finding shows a link; it cannot show a cause. Rider and colleagues name factors that go along with frequent ejaculation, such as BMI, physical activity, divorce and past sexually transmitted infections.

The World Health Organization (WHO) laboratory manual (6th edition, 2021) recommends giving a sample for a semen analysis after a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 7 days without ejaculation. The WHO says the recommendation is based on clinical experience. In a commentary on the manual, Björndahl and Kirkman-Brown (2022) write that longer abstinence can be expected to raise the number of sperm, while the share of sperm that move well is likely to fall. This guidance comes from fertility and laboratory medicine.

## Does NoFap Really Work? What Courses and Social Media Promise About Semen Retention

For No Nut November, NoFap and semen retention, no study is known that shows the promised benefits over a month of abstinence. Online courses still promise a lot, from better erections to more testosterone.

Dubin and colleagues (2024) analysed TikTok and Instagram men's health content using terms including testosterone, erectile dysfunction, infertility and semen retention. Semen retention led with over 1.2 billion TikTok impressions and 1,077,000 Instagram posts. Across all topics studied, accuracy was poor (2.6 on a 1-to-5 scale); doctors' posts scored 4.2, other creators' 2.3.

Prause, who has criticised NoFap in several papers, used a systematic Google search in a 2024 study and found 11 ejaculation training courses from 10 providers. None of these providers listed recognised medical or psychological qualifications; 7 of 10 cited only personal experience. Courses promised improvements in erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, "porn addiction", [performance anxiety](https://gay-blog.tomrockets.com/en/performance-pressure/), testosterone and depression, all scientifically unsupported according to Prause. Weekly prices were 5 to 147 US dollars, single payments 20 to 199 dollars; the study examined offers, not effectiveness.

Men's Health (2019) quotes the physician Christopher Carrubba as saying he could find no research on psychological benefits from semen retention, only anecdotes possibly reflecting placebo effects. Men's Health also quotes Justin Lehmiller of the Kinsey Institute: "There isn't any scientific evidence that giving up masturbation (or ejaculation) will enhance your health".

No known study links abstinence to masculinity or tests that link. A 2019 Urban Dictionary entry calls No Nut November "a challenge to show true manliness", a self-description, not evidence. No study is known on more energy, focus or a "dopamine reset" through abstinence.

According to Wikipedia, Rolling Stone writer EJ Dickson suggested far-right co-option in 2019. Wikipedia reports similar criticism from Vice in 2018.

## When No Nut November Turns Into Pressure: Shame, Relapse and Distress

No study is known on pressure during No Nut November itself. Studies of porn use and of sex between men tie distress and unhappiness more to feeling addicted and to conflict with your own values than to the behaviour itself.

NHS inform (Scotland, 2025) calls [masturbation](https://gay-blog.tomrockets.com/en/masturbation-benefits/) normal and common for women and men. Grubbs and colleagues (2015) surveyed 713 adults once. Perceived porn addiction predicted greater psychological distress beyond actual use; a second sample of 1,215 students confirmed this. The study concerns porn, not masturbation or No Nut November.

In a 2019 review, Grubbs and Perry conclude that moral incongruence, meaning conflict between actions and beliefs, is linked to greater distress and stronger feelings of addiction. Grubbs and colleagues (2019) interpret feelings of addiction in many cases as a result of this conflict. This is their model; porn's addictive potential remains contested.

Perry, Grubbs and McElroy (2021) analysed US surveys from 1988 to 2018. Men reporting past-year sex with men were unhappier than other men only if they considered homosexuality "always wrong". The authors link unhappiness to moral conflict, not sexual behaviour itself; these US snapshots covered sex, not masturbation or No Nut November, so application to gay participants is inference, not a finding.

Prause and Binnie (2024) asked men in a preregistered survey about "relapse" and NoFap forums. After their latest "relapse", participants felt ashamed, worthless and sad. The authors note earlier qualitative studies suggesting abstinence goals recast ordinary sexual behaviour as personal "failure". The abstract does not give the number of participants, and the answers are self-reported.

Chasioti and Binnie (2021) used a narrative analysis of NoFap and PornFree forum posts by people who considered their porn use problematic. Maintaining abstinence as "recovery and relapse" was a major factor in ongoing distress.

Cleveland Clinic advises telling a healthcare provider without shame if you feel guilty or think you masturbate too much; the provider can put you in touch with a therapist.

## Blue Balls During No Nut November: What Causes the Ache

Cleveland Clinic describes [blue balls](https://gay-blog.tomrockets.com/en/blue-balls/), or epididymal hypertension, as testicular pressure or discomfort after arousal without orgasm, without lasting effects. The term means pressure in the epididymis.

Cleveland Clinic writes, "It isn't a medical condition, despite the fancy name." The clinic says arousal sends blood to the genitals, building epididymal pressure that falls after orgasm. Levang and colleagues (2023) mention another theory: slower testicular blood drainage after arousal without orgasm could partly explain the pain.

Cleveland Clinic says discomfort usually lasts minutes, rarely a few hours; an erection without ejaculation should never cause severe or debilitating pain. For genital pain, the clinic advises seeing a doctor, and the same if the feeling does not go away or disrupts daily life. Urologist Petar Bajic says genital pain without prior arousal merits urological or GP review. The clinic calls a long-lasting erection, or priapism, a medical emergency.

Levang and colleagues count only one interview-based study and one case report in scientific literature. Their self-reported 2023 online survey covered 2,621 people, including 1,483 with a penis. Respondents with a penis more often believed in blue balls and reported moderate or severe pain; severe pain affected a minority. The authors stress that the pain is not a valid reason to continue unwanted sexual activity.

According to Levang, masturbating to orgasm, time, distraction, exercise, breathing techniques, urinating and cold showers can help. Interview participants added sleep and waiting; orgasm did not always resolve pain. No study is known on blue balls after weeks or months of abstinence; no analysis of gay men is known.

## Porn, Death Grip and No Nut November: What Is Known About Taking a Break

Whether a break like No Nut November helps with death grip is not known. For porn, one study is known that looked at what one week without it changes among students.

The WHO's ICD-11 disease classification lists compulsive sexual behaviour disorder as 6C72. It involves persistent failure to control intense sexual impulses over a longer period, for example 6 months or more, with marked distress or significant impairment. Pornography is not mentioned in the definition, and distress entirely from moral judgement is insufficient.

Kraus and colleagues (2018) oppose diagnosing high sexual activity without loss of control as a disorder. The ICD-11 lists compulsive sexual behaviour disorder under impulse control disorders, not addictions, with no [porn addiction](https://gay-blog.tomrockets.com/en/porn-addiction/) diagnosis.

Fernandez and colleagues (2023) randomly assigned 176 students watching porn at least three times a week: 86 were asked to avoid porn for 7 days, 90 were not. Craving, mood and withdrawal symptoms showed no significant group differences. Only an exploratory analysis linked abstinence to craving among previously daily viewers considering their use highly problematic; the authors urge caution. The study included only students, 64.2% of whom were women, lasted only one week, examined porn rather than masturbation, and the abstract reports no gay subgroup.

[Death grip](https://gay-blog.tomrockets.com/en/death-grip-syndrome-overcome/) does not appear in the clinical studies cited here; they speak of "traumatic masturbatory syndrome". Sank (1998) reported four cases of men with erection or orgasm problems and unusual masturbation styles, such as lying face down to masturbate daily for years.

Can and colleagues (2023) compared 448 men averaging 30: 266 with erectile dysfunction and 182 without. Face-down rubbing was reported by 10.2% and 6% respectively, pressure on the penis by 8.6% and 3.3%. Whether the technique causes the erection problems remains open; masturbation habits were self-reported.

## Edging as an Alternative to No Nut November: What the Studies Say

[Edging](https://gay-blog.tomrockets.com/en/edging-guide/) is a form of [orgasm control](https://gay-blog.tomrockets.com/en/cum-control-practice/), according to Wikipedia; as a replacement for No Nut November, no study on it is known.

Cooper and colleagues (2015) reviewed 10 randomised trials with 521 participants assigned to groups by chance. They covered behavioural premature ejaculation therapies, including squeeze and stop-start. Four used waiting-list comparisons: two found 7 to 9 minutes longer before ejaculation during vaginal sex, two found no difference. The authors saw only limited evidence; it remained unclear how well the trials were designed.

The review does not mention edging; it covers techniques such as stop-start. An archived NHS page from 2016 says men can use masturbation to learn orgasm control. Anyone wanting a toy can browse [masturbators in the TomRockets shop](https://tomrockets.com/en/c/masturbators).

## FAQ

### Is it okay to edge during No Nut November?

It depends on which description you follow. English Wikipedia describes No Nut November as sexual abstinence and no masturbation in November, which, read that way, would rule out edging too. German Wikipedia describes giving up orgasms through masturbation or sex; read that way, edging without orgasm falls outside it.

### Is semen retention dangerous?

Men's Health (2019) quotes the physician Christopher Carrubba: "There are really no significant risks associated with semen retention." That is an expert's assessment, not a study. No known study has looked at what a month without ejaculation does to testosterone, prostate health or fertility.

### What is Dhat syndrome?

The medical literature describes a culture-bound syndrome of being "morbidly preoccupied with excess loss of semen" and fearing semen loss causes illness. A 2024 Cureus case report calls it more common in men. A 2024 commentary by Prause is titled "Dhāt syndrome emerges in the United States from anti-masturbation semen Retention/NoFap groups".

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