One of the (many) reasons for men to engage in Semen Retention practices is to raise testosterone levels. A proper testosterone level is important to men because it maintains secondary male sexual characteristics such as muscle and bone mass, body hair growth, and blood health, while it also supports sex drive, a good mood, and general health and wellbeing, among other things.
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In fact, low testosterone levels in men have been linked to issues like irritability, depression, lower self-confidence, fatigue, lower sperm count, poor concentration ability, lower red blood cell production, weight gain, muscle loss, low sex drive (low libido), hair loss, and erectile dysfunction.
Nevertheless, the question is if Semen Retention indeed really boosts testosterone levels in the male body (or alternatively if ejaculation decreases levels). As it is, there has been done some scientific research on the topic but none of those has been really conclusive, and the studies were limited by a small sample size.
For instance, one study determined that testosterone levels peaked on the 7th day after abstention of ejaculation, but after that the testosterone levels stayed the same, and after ejaculation it decreased and got back to the usual levels for the men involved.
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Another study concluded that there was a rise of testosterone during and just after coitus (sexual intercourse), but afterwards it returned quickly to normal levels.
And yet another study suggested that a 3-week period of abstinence indeed raised testosterone levels, but that this was probably due to the anticipation of having sex or being able to masturbate after three weeks (which would confirm the study we just mentioned in the previous paragraph).
In general, we can conclude that Semen Retention doesn’t by itself has a structural, long-term impact on testosterone levels, and moreover, the levels are not so drastically increased during the period of abstinence as to having a significant physiological or mental impact on the person involved.
Yet, that doesn’t mean Semen Retention doesn’t change testosterone levels structurally, but then in completely other ways, which apparently has nothing to do with keeping/retaining semen (sperm) in the body. In fact, men who engage in Semen Retention often accompany their practice with a change in lifestyle that involves more physical activity, supplements, a changed diet, weight loss, and improved sleep patterns, which can indeed increase testosterone levels structurally.
