The Facts: Does Ejaculating More Lower Prostate Cancer Risk?

Highlights

• Research into the role of ejaculation in prostate cancer prevention is ongoing.
• Large-scale studies suggest that frequent ejaculations can help men avoid low-risk prostate tumors.
• Prostate cancer is caused by DNA mutations.
• According to “prostate stagnation” theory, infrequent ejaculations could lead to the accumulation of dangerous substances in the prostate gland.
• Make sure to ejaculate regularly — with a partner, through masturbation, or with prostate massage.

Let’s face it: Health advice is not sexy. Doctors tell us to forget about steak and fries, go jogging or sweat in the gym. On top of that, we should quit smoking and drinking and lead a stress-free life.

Sexual health prevention is not much fun, either. Using condoms is the right thing to do, but few guys (or gals!) think it’s fun. Regular testing, swabs — you name it — not fun.

But there is one area of sexual health that combines protection with pleasure. Scientists have reason to believe that frequent ejaculation lowers the risk of prostate cancer.

Here’s what we know so far.

Does Frequent Ejaculation Reduce Prostate Cancer Risk?

Our understanding of why prostate tumors grow is still limited. Researchers are trying to understand how men’s behaviors and lifestyle choices influence cancer risk. Ejaculation frequency is one of the key clues.

• One study confirms that frequent ejaculation reduces cancer risk. A large 2017 study conducted over the course of 18 years on a group of over 30,000 males provided evidence that ejaculating often could reduce the risk of prostate cancer. The good news applies especially to low-risk tumors. Men who reported 21 or more ejaculations per month had a lower incidence of prostate cancer than men who ejaculated four to seven times a month.
• Biological evidence suggests a link between prostate tumor creation and ejaculation. Scientists conducted molecular and genetic analyses of the prostate tissue of men who were diagnosed with cancer. They found biological evidence that could explain the connection between the creation of tumors in the prostate and the frequency of ejaculation.

• Moderate ejaculation frequency might also help. Another in-depth analysis of 21 studies revealed that moderate ejaculation frequency (two to four times per week) was associated with lower risk of prostate cancer. Another interesting fact: Self-love or monogamous sex appear to work better than promiscuity. The probability of cancer of the prostate rose with the number of sexual partners.
• Weak link between ejaculation and high-risk cancer. While recent discoveries about ejaculation as a potential protective factor for prostate cancer are good news, we need to remember that it applies only to low- to moderate-risk tumors. Unfortunately, the studies so far have not found a strong correlation between ejaculation and high-risk prostate cancer.

Am I at Risk of Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer for American men, yet we still don’t know enough about it. Scientists believe prostate tumors have genetic causes. There are two types of DNA mutations.

• Inherited. It might come as a surprise, but hereditary cancer of the prostate makes up only about 10 percent of all cases.
• Acquired. When our cells divide, they copy their DNA. Sometimes mistakes happen and defective DNA is created. We don’t know exactly how many of those mutations are random and how many are a result of lifestyle choices and factors beyond our control.

Many studies have been conducted to understand the links between development of prostate tumors and lifestyle, health, sexual activity, and exposure to dangerous substances. Even after years of research, we still have more questions than answers. Here are the most likely prostate cancer risk factors:

• Age. Younger men rarely get prostate cancer. Only 1 in 451 men gets diagnosed before the age of 50. In your 50s, the risk gets higher at 1 in 55. Once you reach your 60s, you have a 1 in 20 chance of a prostate cancer diagnosis.
• Race/ethnicity. For unknown reasons, prostate cancer occurs in African American men more often than men of other ethnicities. Asian American and Hispanic men get prostate tumors less often than Caucasian males.
• Weight. We still don’t know exactly how much obesity and diet influence prostate cancer risk. The data we have so far suggests that being heavily overweight increases the chances of dying from prostate tumors. And we do know that eating healthy is always a good choice; even small changes can make a difference.

Ejaculations and Prostate Cancer: How Are They Connected?

To understand the connection between ejaculation and cancer risk, we need a quick lesson about the prostate itself. It is a gland about the size of a golf ball, located deep in your pelvis. Its main role is to produce fluid that mixes with sperm cells and leaves your body during ejaculation as semen.

Medical experts suspect that the phenomenon called “prostate stagnation” could be to blame in at least some cancer cases. Without frequent ejaculation, certain substances accumulate in the gland and can create favorable conditions for tumor development.

Ejaculating for Prostate Health

Even if the role of ejaculation in cancer prevention is not fully understood, making sure you do it on a regular basis sounds like a fun health recommendation.

Now, you don’t need to pressure your partner to make love every day just because you need to ejaculate! Sex is not supposed to be an obligation. Here are some tips to make those ejaculations happen often enough regardless of your situation:

• Make sure you and your partner plan your intimate time together. Put it on your calendar, remembering that the aim is to connect and not to have intercourse. You can stick to manual or oral pleasures, too. If your partner doesn’t want to continue all the way until you orgasm, use a sex toy. What matters is that you spend a nice time together.
• If you are single or your partner doesn’t want to make love often, masturbation is your best friend. Use this time to get closer to yourself. Focus on breathing, explore different techniques and toys. If you are used to one way of doing it, try something new. Make it interesting.

• Try prostate massage, also known as prostate milking. This is great for guys who have erectile dysfunction. You can do it externally, through your perineum, although for best and most pleasurable results you need to enter through the back door. Read our blog post to learn the basics.

eDrugstore is Here for You

If you’re struggling with sexual function issues, such as erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation, or relationship and intimacy issues, eDrugstore can help. Check out our medication guide or follow the eDrugstore blog for more information about sexual health and other men’s health issues.