Benefits of healthy prostate and sperm ejaculation

Current clinical consensus in urology and large-sample evidence-based studies have confirmed that regular and moderate semen ejaculation has a clear positive effect on prostate health. The core benefits are concentrated in three directions: reducing the risk of inflammation, maintaining normal gland metabolism, and assisting in the early detection of lesions. The benefits are slightly different for men of different ages, and there are clear boundaries of application.

I met a 28-year-old programmer in the outpatient clinic a while ago. He had been suffering from chronic prostatitis for almost 2 years. He would suffer from vaginal pain in the afternoon. He urinated so frequently that he did not dare to drink iced milk tea. He had heard of the so-called "abstinence to protect the prostate" saying before, and he had not ejaculated for 3 months. As a result, he had an acute attack and the fever reached 38 degrees. When he went for prostate massage, the prostatic fluid squeezed out was yellow and turbid. Later, I adjusted to regular ejaculation 2-3 times a week, and combined with a less sedentary and less spicy lifestyle. I checked again after 3 months, and the indicators were basically normal. I said that I finally no longer need to sneak to the toilet in the middle of every long meeting.

Many people always go to extremes in their understanding of the relationship between semen ejaculation and the prostate. They either think that holding back "one drop of semen or ten drops of blood" is the best way to maintain health, or they think that "the more semen ejaculated, the better the flow" will overdraw the body. In fact, the current academic views are not completely unified, and it needs to be broken down to be objective.

The most uncontroversial thing is definitely the function of unblocking the glandular ducts - the prostate secretes 1-2ml of prostatic fluid every day, which is the main component of semen. You can think of the small glandular ducts inside the prostate as the sewer pipe of the sink at home. It is not easy to block when used normally every day. If it is not used for a long time, the shed epithelial cells and inflammatory secretions will pile up in the ducts, which can cause swelling and pain in the glands. In severe cases, bacteria can breed and induce bacterial prostatitis. In severe cases, calcification lesions can be formed. During regular ejaculation, the smooth muscles of the prostate will contract regularly, expelling the secretions accumulated in the glandular ducts along with the semen, which is equivalent to regular unblocking of the ducts. This is why many patients with chronic non-bacterial prostatitis are specifically advised by doctors to ejaculate regularly. Sometimes the improvement effect is more obvious than taking many anti-inflammatory drugs.

Of course, not all studies support "the more, the better". In the early years, scholars in the department of urology and urology believed that frequent ejaculation in a short period of time (for example, more than 2 times a day) would cause continued congestion of the prostate and in turn aggravate the inflammatory response. However, 1 published in the "Chinese Journal of Andrology" in 2023. Follow-up data from a cohort of 20,000 men aged 20-45 years show that as long as there is no obvious fatigue, perineal soreness, or increased frequency of urination after ejaculation, even if ejaculation occurs 4-5 times a week, the prevalence of prostatitis is 32% lower than that of people who ejaculate less than once a month, and there will be no additional increase in the risk of the disease.

As for whether semen ejaculation can prevent prostate cancer, which everyone is most concerned about, the current conclusion is not completely unified. A large-sample study in European and American countries with a 10-year follow-up showed that men over the age of 50 who regularly ejaculate more than three times a week will reduce the risk of prostate cancer by about 20%. However, the relevant research data in Asian populations are not sufficient and this conclusion cannot be directly applied for the time being. It can only be said that regular ejaculation can maintain the normal metabolic level of the gland and has a certain positive effect on delaying the degenerative changes of the middle-aged and elderly prostate.

Here I would like to mention two pitfalls that are most likely to fall into. The first one is that only sexual intercourse counts for ejaculation. In fact, as long as it is moderate, whether it is sexual intercourse or masturbation, there is no difference in the benefits to the prostate. There is no need to feel guilty. In clinical practice, I encounter too many young men who are embarrassed to say that they masturbate and hold it in to get rid of inflammation. It is really unnecessary. The second one is that everyone is suitable to rely on excretion of sperm to nourish the prostate. If you are currently experiencing an attack of acute bacterial prostatitis, or have just undergone prostate puncture or prostate surgery, you must abstain from sex as directed by your doctor, otherwise the bacteria will spread to other parts of the body or affect wound healing.

In fact, to put it bluntly, the prostate is a secretory gland, and ejaculation is one of its normal physiological functions. There is no need to deliberately abstain from sexual intercourse or deliberately increase the frequency of ejaculation in order to "nurture the prostate." It should be in line with your physical condition. If you don't feel uncomfortable after ejaculation, just keep it regular. After all, raising the prostate never depends on a single habit. Sitting less, holding back urine less, and eating less spicy food are more effective than anything else.