Doctor explains exactly what happens to penis during No Nut November

The 'No Nut November' (NNN) challenge is well and truly on for people immersing themselves in the 'NoFap' movement.

The meme-driven trend, involving mostly men, has been well-debated on Reddit forums for a while now, as its fans like to promote the so-called 'benefits' of not w**king for an entire month.

By avoiding sexual release for 30 days, they say it helps people combat compulsive thoughts or addictive sexual behavior.

According to NoFap.com, people see it as somewhat of a fun challenge or a way to reset habits. It's considered a way of testing willpower and self-discipline for the whole month of November.

NNN fans believe it can lead to the following benefits:

• greater muscle development

• better stamina

• thicker, healthier hair

No Nut November is upon us (Getty Stock Images)

• higher sperm quality

• lower stress levels

• less anxiety

• better concentration

• an improvement self-discipline

• higher sex drive

• fewer issues with erectile dysfunction

But with all that said, health experts warn that there isn't enough research to back up those claims.

Urologist and sex expert Dr Rena Malik took to her YouTube channel to explain that it can actually hurt your private parts.

"People can get a lot of pain and discomfort in their pelvic floor or their testicles. A lot of you guys have heard of 'blue balls'," she warned.

'Blue balls' describes an uncomfortable or aching sensation in the testicles that happens when men are sexually aroused for a prolonged period without reaching an orgasm and ejaculating.

Not masturbating for an entire month affects different people in different ways (Getty Stock Images)

"There are several benefits to masturbation," Dr Malik said. "Including better sleep, decreased heart rate, decreased stress and a lot of increase in feel good hormones."

Erectile dysfunction expert Dr Alexis Missick also told the Daily Star in 2023 that NNN could actually be doing more harm than good to your penis.

"Masturbation actually has beneficial effects on testosterone levels and libido, almost like a positive advocate loop," she said.

"By masturbating, it can delay the time to ejaculation, almost like building stamina and routine."

Dr Missick added: "It can also reduce some of the psychological issues such as low self-esteem and performance anxiety, that would increase the chance of erectile dysfunction. "The reverse in true - refraining from masturbating could worsen premature ejaculation and indirectly erectile dysfunction."

The Oxford Online Pharmacy also states: "There is not enough reliable evidence to prove the reported benefits of No Nut November."

But they add: "Just as there is insufficient evidence to assert that No Nut November is good for you, there is not enough research to confirm that it is bad, either."

Some research, the pharmacy wrote, suggested regular ejaculation may be good for sperm quality. But most benefits are not necessarily proven through research.

With that being said, the pharmacy also urges you to contact your doctor if you think you might be addicted to masturbation, porn or sex.