Spanish
In a world of excesses, restrictions can be seen as necessary remedies. Hence, fasting or voluntary celibacy have their niche of fans. Within this restrictive trend, we must also talk about ejaculatory abstinence, which consists of avoiding ejaculation for different reasons and to obtain certain benefits.
The tantra was one of the first disciplines to speak of control, delay, and even avoiding ejaculation in order to improve and lengthen relationships or channel sexual energy towards other facets of life. But, as Munindra, a tantra yoga master, expert in tantric philosophy and creator of the website Crazyyogi, says, this has its good side and its bad side, like everything. "There are already studies that speak of the benefits of ejaculation for the prostate. In addition, these practices must be carried out with a technique and a purpose. That is, to transcend, not to repress; because celibacy practiced by Saint John of the Cross is not the same as that which a famous person can do, because at that moment they do not have a partner and it suits them to join this trend." New groups are now joining the followers of tantra, as Raúl González, sexologist, psychopedagogue, and couples therapist at the therapeutic support office A la Par, in Madrid, maintains. "Avoiding ejaculation has become fashionable in the healthy world, among fitness enthusiasts, who consume a lot of protein, because they claim that this increases energy and vitality, although there is no scientific evidence in this regard. I remember that in Operación Triunfo it was already said that it was not advisable to have sex before a concert, because ejaculating affected the voice, lowered the tones. And also in the world of high-performance sports there is the idea that you have to save energy for the competition," he underlines.We recommend reading:Ejaculating at least 21 times a month reduces the risk of prostate cancer
If one searches the internet for the benefits of semen retention, forums and articles appear that list the most popular ones: increased testosterone production, better sperm quality, more vitality, greater concentration and cognitive function, less anxiety and depression, increased muscle growth, thicker hair, a deeper voice, greater sexual stamina, more confidence and self-control. But what is true and false in all this?
"Most of these ideas are false," assures Rodrigo García-Baquero, urologist, andrologist, member of the Spanish Association of Urology and worker at the Puerta del Mar University Hospital, in Cádiz. "It does not increase testosterone levels. Moreover, it has been seen how sexually active men have more testosterone than those who do not have relationships. As for sperm quality, it is another fallacy. If you do not ejaculate, the body eliminates the semen, reabsorbing it or nocturnal emissions occur (involuntary ejaculations that occur during sleep); because sperm production is continuous and there is a certain storage. Hence, those of us who work in the field of fertility recommend to those who have a vocation to be fathers to ejaculate frequently, so that the semen is of better quality," points out this urologist. Mariano Roselló, an expert in sexual medicine and andrology from the Roselló Medical Institute, in Palma, adds: “There are already studies that show that after an ejaculation of low seminal quality, if a second ejaculation occurs, in a period of less than six hours, the seminal quality of the latter increases.”Another benefit of not practicing this type of abstinence was revealed by a study published by European Urology, which grouped 32,000 men who were followed for a long time, almost 20 years. The study revealed that there is a lower risk (20%) of suffering from prostate cancer in those men who ejaculate frequently, let's say 15 to 20 times a month.
Orgasms without ejaculating and the stop-start technique
Reaching orgasm, intimately linked to ejaculation, is associated with numerous health benefits such as relieving stress, pain, tension, improving sleep, and increasing concentration. "On the contrary, retaining ejaculation too often can be detrimental to pelvic inflammatory diseases, as it can lead to prostatitis and contractures of the pelvic muscles and, in addition, can lead to delayed ejaculation, a condition that generates frustration in men and their partners," says García-Baquero. "This pelvic dysfunction can also occur in anorgasmic women, as they never reach the relaxation phase after orgasm," he warns. Of course, ejaculation and orgasm, although they almost always go hand in hand, can have their solo adventures. "There are breathing techniques and muscle control (especially Kegel exercises) that allow you to experience orgasms without ejaculating," says González. According to the sexologist, there are also men with spinal cord injuries who, when experiencing orgasm and ejaculation, have different sensations than usual or are not aware of them. "And then there is retrograde ejaculation, which some prostate surgery patients or patients with spinal cord injuries have, in which the semen ends up in the bladder and is expelled through the urine," he assures. It must also be taken into account that there is a high variability on the effect of ejaculating. "It's not the same to do it alone as accompanied," points out Roselló: "In the same way that it is not just a physiological function, but also incorporates an entire emotional part." In tantra, orgasm is considered to occur an instant before ejaculation; therefore, if you do not ejaculate and remain in that instant, you are in a "valley orgasm," as Munindra explains. "This can be prolonged depending on each person's training, regardless of whether or not they later ejaculate," he adds. Controlling ejaculation is, however, one of the exercises that men suffering from premature ejaculation should do. The famous technique known as "stop and start" consists of "stimulating the penis until feeling the imminent urge to ejaculate, stopping all stimulation just before reaching the point of no return to let the excitement diminish, and repeating this cycle several times to increase self-control and delay orgasm," according to García-Baquero. The expert assures that the performance of this practice is easier in the case of masturbation and more complicated as a couple, where it requires the cooperation of the other person. "The important thing here is to understand the process of the ejaculatory reflex and detect the previous sensations, because recognizing them will give us the keys to its subsequent control," he explains.Practicing the stop-start technique is not only indicated for premature ejaculators, but for anyone seeking to prolong relationships or better adapt to the rhythm of the other person or the woman, which is usually slower. "Using certain techniques, ejaculation is delayed and the quality of orgasms can be greater. Who knows? Perhaps this trend of ejaculatory abstinence will contribute to varying the choreographies of porn, which usually always ends with ejaculation on certain parts of the female body," says González.
