Dear Sex Answers:

We have an important question and hope you can answer or refer us to a trustworthy and reliable source. Someone informed us an interesting but disturbing information. We need to know if this statement is true….

1. A man must masturbate or release his sperm once or twice a month to prevent prostate cancer.
2. If a man does not have sex or release his sperm within 3 to 6 months, he will have a higher chance of getting prostate cancer.

Thank you for any information you can provide with this,

Theresa


Dear Theresa:

Based on the studies I've read, men who have regular ejaculations are less likely to have prostate cancer. Both my father and oldest brother are prostate cancer survivors. It's also one of the reasons that I believe that women should not
freak out if they find their husband masturbating. Their bodies aren't meant to get release just once or twice a month. :-)

A healthy sex life has even bigger benefits than just prostate health. Everything from depression, blood pressure levels, etc. have been shown to benefit from a healthy sex life.

The majority of men wake up with erections (morning wood) because their body is built that way, so don't hold back ladies!!!

The health benefits might not be equal to making sure he takes a vitamin every day, but it's sure to bring a bigger smile to his face!

TiKi

(further information as you requested can be found below:)


An epidemiological study of 30,000 American men by Michael Leitzman, a cancer researcher at the  National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, has found that men who enjoy an active sex life do not risk prostate cancer in later life.

There has been a suggested link with greater sexual activity and increased incidents of prostate cancer in previous scientific data because of the link with the male hormone testosterone and its effect on promoting cancer cell growth.

Leitzmann's findings were that men who ejaculate between 13 and 20 times a month had a 14% lower risk of prostate cancer that men who ejaculated on average, between 4 and 7 times a month for most of their adult life. Men who ejaculated upwards of 21 times a month had a 33% lower lifetime risk of prostate cancer than the baseline group.

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I think a lot of men are going to like this study!

Michael


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One ‘fun’ site is called Ask Men dot com. It has fun facts, but the facts are backed by medical research. Here is what the site says in answer to your first question;

Masturbate
How it works: Now before you shake your fist in anger, allow us to explain. By no means is AM promoting that men everywhere start masturbating to prevent prostate cancer. But several studies conducted in the last few years have indeed suggested that masturbation protects against prostate cancer. Actually, it was ejaculation, achieved by either sex or masturbation that showed benefit.

Just how does ejaculation protect against prostate cancer? One theory is that it allows the prostate to clear itself of carcinogens. In other words, masturbation may literally clean your pipes.

How to perform: Yeah, nice try -- that’s for you to figure out. But as far as frequency is concerned, we can give you an estimate for that. According to the largest study of its kind, a 2004 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, to gain any protective benefit against prostate cancer, more than 12 ejaculations per month (i.e., masturbating or having sex every other day) was necessary. What’s more, each increase of three ejaculations per week was associated with a 15% decrease in prostate cancer risk.

Pro tip: Don’t use disease prevention to sell the idea of more sex to your girlfriend.

Looking at this logically then, the answer to question 2 is that yes, not releasing sperm in a certain period of time can create a climate where the risks are increased.

Having said that, there are other factors a man must examine to reduce his risk of prostate cancer:

Maintain a healthy diet
Maintain a healthy weight
Create an exercise program (if you do not currently have one)

As always, consult with a doctor about any changes in diet or lifestyle.


Cori

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READER'S RESPONSES:

As with all bodily systems, regular routine is essential. Mental stimulus aids in retention of information, social skills are honed by repeated interaction. In physical terms, muscle tone is retained by exercise, aided by endorphin release. Such is true about men's reproductive system. In this matter, it is not the sperm that is the problem as the body absorbs it as it ages and dies. The true factor is the prostate (one "R") which must react and function on a regular basis to maintain healthy status. What men do not take into account is the importance of the balance of fluid level in the body. The recommendation of eight - 8 oz glasses of water per day is paramount to all body systems. But the caveat is that without sufficient liquid, the body will prioritize. It will feed the heart, brain and major organs before it "saves" that silly little prostate. Hence, get dehydrated and you have dry mouth, skin dryness, it hurts to pee and in time, whamoo!, there goes the spongy little prostate into a hard blob. Sure, keep the little man happy, but drink .... water.