Hormonal response after masturbation in young healthy men

[Nelson Vergel]

Hormonal response after masturbation in young healthy men – a randomized controlled cross-over pilot study

Eduard Isenmann, Moritz Schumann, Hannah L. Notbohm, Ulrich Flenker & Philipp Zimmer

Basic and Clinical Andrology volume 31, Article number: 32 (2021)



Abstract
Background
Hormones like testosterone play a crucial role in performance enhancement and muscle growth. Therefore, various attempts to increase testosterone release and testosterone concentration have been made, especially in the context of resistance training. Among practitioners, sexual activity (coitus and masturbation) a few hours before training is often discussed to result in increases of testosterone concentration and thus promote muscle growth. However, there is no evidence to support this assumption and the kinetics of the testosterone and cortisol response after sexual activity have not been adequately investigated. Therefore, the aim of this pilot-study was to examine the kinetics of hormone concentrations of total testosterone, free testosterone and cortisol and their ratios after masturbation. In a three-arm single blinded cross-over study, the effects of masturbation with visual stimulus were compared to a visual stimulus without masturbation and the natural kinetics in healthy young men.

Results
The results showed a significant between-condition difference in free testosterone concentrations. Masturbation (p < 0.01) and a visual stimulus (p < 0.05) may seem to counteract the circadian drop of free testosterone concentrations over the day. However, no statistical change was observed in the ratios between total testosterone, free testosterone and cortisol.

Conclusions
It can be assumed that masturbation may have a potential effect on free testosterone concentrations but not on hormonal ratios. However, additional studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate these findings.

Hormonal response after masturbation in young healthy men – a randomized controlled cross-over pilot study - Basic and Clinical Andrology

Background Hormones like testosterone play a crucial role in performance enhancement and muscle growth. Therefore, various attempts to increase testosterone release and testosterone concentration have been made, especially in the context of resistance training. Among practitioners, sexual...

bacandrology.biomedcentral.com

 

[DadOfSonNOVA]

Translation? Is sex before lifting/sport potentially good or bad?

 

[bixt]

Masturbation/ sex to satiety doesnt meaningfully affect total testosterone levels. Instead there is a massive decline in androgen receptor (AR) counts in parts of the brain.

 

[equel]

Masturbation/ sex to satiety doesnt meaningfully affect total testosterone levels. Instead there is a massive decline in androgen receptor (AR) counts in parts of the brain.

Is this true? Source?

 

[Vince]

Ironically, although testosterone deficiency can cause problems with sexual desire and performance, having sex can actually increase your testosterone production. If you are having sex very infrequently this is likely to reduce your testosterone levels.

Natural Ways to Increase Testosterone | Core Clinics

In this article we discuss the many different ways to increase testosterone naturally. Visit our website for further details.

coreclinics.co.uk

 

[bixt]

Is this true? Source?

Relationship between sexual satiety and brain androgen receptors - PubMed

Recently we showed that 24 h after copulation to satiety, there is a reduction in androgen receptor density (ARd) in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH), but not in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). The present study was designed to...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sexual behavior reduces hypothalamic androgen receptor immunoreactivity - PubMed

Male sexual behavior is regulated by limbic areas like the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN), the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), the nucleus accumbens (nAcc) and the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMN). Neurons in these brain areas are rich in androgen receptors (AR) and express...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov