Is No Nut November Really All It’s Cracked Up to Be?

If you’ve seen countless posts about No Nut November on your social feeds this month, you know there’s not a massive movement of men going cashew-free for 30 days. Instead, the annual initiative challenges men to abstain from ejaculating for an entire month — that means no masturbating or sexual intercourse to completion, no matter how hard (no pun intended) it is to keep it all bottled up. Why, you might ask, would anyone in their right mind agree to this? Allow us to unpack. 

Before No Nut, the 11^th month of the year was reserved for Thanksgiving and Movember, a challenge that encourages guys to grow out their mustaches to raise awareness for men’s health issues like prostate cancer and suicide prevention. Is it largely performative? Maybe. But it also serves a noble purpose, and the only downside (if any) is that some partners prefer a clean shave to the rugged look.

Movember debuted more than 20 years ago, back when Netflix still mailed DVDs and Instagram was just a twinkle in Kevin Systrom’s eye. Though the no-shave trend still exists today, No Nut November has taken the monthly challenge spotlight. You might’ve seen spoof videos of guys trying it and almost instantly failing once their girlfriend enters a room, or of dudes lying on the floor on December 1 after completing the challenge, covered in dubious-looking toilet paper.

Why are these guys choosing to hold back? Though No Nut November started as a satirical meme in 2011, it has since gained massive popularity as a test of discipline and the supposed health benefits of being, um, backed up. A 2022 National Institute of Health (NIH) study coauthored by Dr. Justin Dubin, a local urologist and men’s health expert, found that searches for “semen retention” garnered more than one billion impressions on TikTok and more than one million posts on Instagram. Despite this widespread interest, the study also found that less than three percent of the posts contained medically or scientifically accurate information. 

Interest in semen retention and the similar “NoFap” trend, which promotes abstinence from pornography, masturbation, and sexual activity, has continued to grow since the study was published, with popular male influencers like Jak Piggot spouting its benefits to their millions of followers. (Fun fact: the “fap” in “NoFap” is slang for the sound that happens when a man masturbates). 

The r/Semenretention subreddit has 174k members and, although some former participants use the community to speak out against the practice, most submissions claim to have seen amazing benefits from holding it all in for weeks, months, or even years. One post with more than 600 upvotes comes from a man who purports to have become irresistible to women. Others question the incel-like nature of the practice, saying things like “Do you plan on spending the rest of your life with no sex or intimacy?”

Semen retention isn’t a new fad. Many ancient cultures believed that ejaculation was detrimental to a man’s health and that abstinence could improve fertility, mental, and physical health. But when modern-day influencers pair the practice with drinking aged urine, maybe it’s time to step back and analyze the facts. I asked Dr. Dubin for his thoughts on No Nut November, and he didn’t hold back. 

“What is concerning about these videos, really, is that these young guys — they’re like 18 to 22 years old — are talking about the benefits that they’ve seen. Like, ‘Oh, two weeks in, my skin’s better, my hair is thicker, I have better energy.’ It literally makes no sense,” he says. 

“There’s no data showing that testosterone levels increase. But when you think about it, just from common sense, it doesn’t add up,” he adds. “When a man goes through puberty, they have an increase in testosterone, right? What happens to a man’s skin when he goes through puberty? They get oily, they get acne.”

No studies support the health claims that men will experience better fertility, higher testosterone, or other mental and physical benefits from semen retention. In fact, research suggests that the practice is likely detrimental to male fertility. 

“We know that more frequent ejaculation is better for fertility,” says Dr. Dubin. “You want to kind of clean the pipes. When a couple comes in for a fertility evaluation, I always recommend [the man] ejaculate either every day or every other day.”

Contrary to NoFap supporters, medical studies show that ejaculating frequently (21 times per month) is associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer, though Dr. Dubin stresses guys don’t need to put that kind of pressure on themselves.

“Now, am I saying every guy needs to ejaculate 21 times a month?  I think that’s a crazy thing to tell someone, because that can make things stressful,” he says.

Other benefits of ejaculation include improved sleep, less stress, and higher serotonin levels, while purposely abstaining from it can cause stress, pain, and anxiety. 

That isn’t to discount the fact that some men might be asexual or going through a period where they’re less aroused, and don’t feel the need for sexual release. 

“If you don’t want to ejaculate or masturbate, you also don’t have to. If not having sex or not ejaculating gives you pleasure, then that’s fine,” Dr. Dubin says. “But if you’re stressed about not ejaculating, then you probably shouldn’t [abstain].” 

The biggest problem Dr. Dubin sees with No Nut November is how online communities are shaming men who can’t complete the challenge. 

“There are a lot of negative communities online where you get abused for ejaculating, and what that has created is quite negative,” he says. “There’s some literature in this space [that suggests] these groups are creating additional mental stress.”

If No Nut November is making your life harder for no reason, an Instagram comment from Dr. Dubin offers a possible solution. “As a urologist, I would like to announce Pro Nut November. Have a month, boys.”