Fact checked byRichard Smith

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October 23, 2024
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Masturbation frequency may correlate with sexual dysfunction for men trying to conceive

Fact checked byRichard Smith
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Key takeaways:

  • Men undergoing semen analysis who reported frequent masturbation were most likely to report less weekly intercourse.
  • Frequent masturbation also correlated with orgasm dysfunction for select men.

DENVER — Among men undergoing semen analysis for fertility purposes, those with higher masturbation frequency also had better ejaculatory function but worse orgasmic function, researchers reported.

In an analysis of survey data from men who mailed in semen samples for fertility testing, researchers also found that a small cohort of men who reported masturbating more than seven times per week were most likely to report having sex less than one time per week and also most likely to report having sex more than 7 times per week, suggesting libido differences in this group.

Couple with doctor
Men undergoing semen analysis who reported frequent masturbation were most likely to report less weekly intercourse. Image: Adobe Stock.

“We had data from the company Fellow Health, a mail-in semen analysis testing company, where men were offered voluntary surveys on their sexual function and certain mental health aspects,” Amanda K. Seyer, MD, MEd, a urology resident with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told Healio during a moderated poster session at the ASRM Scientific Congress & Expo. “All of these men were undergoing semen analysis testing for the purpose of fertility, as opposed to postvasectomy semen analysis. We were intrigued by answers to questions on their masturbation frequency and what correlated with those trends from men who masturbated frequently.”

Researchers reviewed a prospectively maintained database of 2,034 men who utilized a mail-in semen analysis test system; respondents consented to participate in research and completed survey questionnaires on quality of life and sexual function. As part of the test instructions, men were told to abstain from ejaculation for 48 hours before sample collection.

Amanda K. Seyer

Men reported typical weekly masturbation frequency (0, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 or 7 times per week) as part of the sexual function questionnaire.

Of the 2,034 men included, 41.2% reported masturbating one to two times per week, 21.6% reported never masturbating and only 14.2% reported a frequency of more than four times per week.

Mean semen volume did not differ by masturbation frequency (P = .07).

Men who reported masturbating most frequently ( 7 times per week) were least likely to report ejaculatory dysfunction (12% vs. 21% for all others combined; P = .04), but most likely to report orgasmic dysfunction (12% vs. 5.7% for all others combined; P = .02).

“The average masturbation frequency among men undergoing fertility testing was about one to two times per week. That was also the average frequency for intercourse as well,” Seyer told Healio. “We took special interest in the small cohort of men who reported daily masturbation and looked at their sexual function patterns. They were most likely to report some level of dysfunction of orgasm. There were no differences in erectile function, and [they were] most likely to report normal ejaculation.”

The data showed that men who reported masturbating most often, at least seven times per week, were both most likely to report having sex less than once per week and most likely to report having sex more than seven times per week when compared with other strata of masturbation frequency.

“What was interesting is that among men presumably trying to conceive who have a sexual partner, the group of men who reported masturbating daily, on average, were also the cohort most likely to report having intercourse less than one time per week or not at all,” Seyer told Healio. “They were also the cohort most likely to report intercourse more than seven times per week.”

Seyer said men who are evaluated for fertility who report increased masturbation frequency should be assessed for orgasmic dysfunction to optimize sexual pleasure and sex frequency as it pertains to trying to conceive.