Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Having sex (a lot) significantly boost testosterone
Executive summary
Short answer: sexual activity can produce short-lived rises in testosterone tied to arousal or anticipation, but the available reporting and studies do not show a reliable, sustained increase in baseline testosterone from “having sex a lot” [1] [2] [3]. Some small studies report transient spikes — including a dramatic 35% rise in a tiny film-viewing study and a week‑long abstinence peak in another study — but sample sizes, settings and methods vary, so these findings don’t prove frequent sex produces long‑term hormonal change [4] [5].
1. What the evidence actually measures — short blips, not long‑term rewiring
Multiple reviews and consumer health pieces summarize that sexual arousal and orgasm can raise testosterone briefly, but levels usually return to baseline quickly; most sources conclude there’s no convincing evidence of a meaningful lasting increase in baseline testosterone from sexual activity alone [1] [2] [3]. Medical News Today notes a rise at ejaculation that returned to pre‑ejaculation levels within about 10 minutes in one cited study [1]. Examine explicitly states “ejaculation does not impact your testosterone levels” in a durable way and points to short‑term neuroendocrine responses instead [2].
2. Small studies show interesting but inconsistent spikes
Researchers have reported temporary rises in testosterone during sexual arousal or when viewing erotic stimuli — for example, one small experiment monitoring plasma every 15 minutes reported an average 35% increase in an eight‑person sample [4], and a 2010 sex‑club study found salivary testosterone increases after sexual activity or viewing others [3]. But these results come from tiny or unusual samples and do not generalize to population‑level, long‑term hormone changes [4] [3].
3. Abstinence findings complicate the simple “more sex = more T” story
Some older and smaller studies report a transient peak after several days of abstinence (one cited paper reported a peak around day 7 of abstinence reaching ~145% of baseline), suggesting complex rhythms rather than a linear relation between frequency and baseline testosterone [5]. Other sources say abstinence has no clear, consistent long‑term effect. This inconsistency shows that both sexual activity and abstinence can produce temporary fluctuations, but neither reliably shifts baseline levels across broader samples [5] [2].
4. What clinicians and reputable health outlets conclude
Contemporary consumer‑facing medical reviews (Ro, Hone Health, Inito, Everlywell) and Men’s Health emphasize that any testosterone increases tied to sexual activity are usually modest and short‑lived; lifestyle factors (sleep, weight, exercise, illness, age) drive baseline testosterone far more than sexual frequency [6] [3] [7] [8]. Men’s Health and other experts also note gaps in evidence and call for larger, better‑controlled studies before claiming sex frequency raises long‑term testosterone [9].
5. Where disagreement or uncertainty remains
Sources diverge on magnitude and duration: some individual studies report substantial transient rises [4], while broader reviews and analyses find minimal or no lasting impact [2] [3]. The field is understudied in many respects: sample sizes are often small, settings (lab, sex club, film viewing) differ, and measures vary between salivary and serum assays. Because of that methodological heterogeneity, commentators urge caution about extrapolating single study results to real‑world claims [2] [3].
6. Practical takeaways and alternative explanations
If your goal is to raise baseline testosterone for health or performance, evidence indicates sex frequency is an unreliable tool compared with proven levers — regular exercise (especially resistance training), healthy weight, sleep, and medical evaluation for hypogonadism (available sources do not mention specific lifestyle intervention outcomes in detail beyond general statements) [6] [7]. Conversely, frequent sex may correlate with good overall health (and therefore healthier hormones) rather than causing higher testosterone directly, a reverse‑causation possibility noted in clinician commentary [6].
7. Limitations in current reporting you should weigh
Reporting relies heavily on small lab studies, older papers, and secondary summaries; large, well‑controlled trials on long‑term effects of sexual frequency on baseline testosterone are lacking or inconclusive [2] [3]. Where a source explicitly refutes a durable effect (Examine), that should be weighed against isolated positive findings [2] [4].
Bottom line: sex can transiently raise testosterone in some people and situations, but the balance of accessible reporting and reviews says frequent sexual activity is unlikely to produce a sustained, clinically meaningful increase in baseline testosterone — more reliable improvements come from general lifestyle and medical approaches [2] [6] [3].