A doctor has sent out an urgent warning to all of those taking part in the popular No Nut November challenge this month.
We're about halfway through, so if you're one of the brave people trying it, then we tip our hats to you - it's no easy feat.
For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, No Nut November essentially consists of you not masturbating for the entire month of November.
People who have completed the challenge have spoken about it in the past, while some weren't sure if they needed to do it at all.
Advert
This 30-day challenge entices people to part-take, apparently in a bid to increase their mental health or testosterone levels.
The idea first went viral back in 2011, even becoming a meme on social media as jokes around abstinence do the rounds on sites every year.
But it turns out that taking part in the challenge could bring about some problems that you may want to steer clear of, according to this doctor.
Why do people take part in No Nut November?
Dr Rena Malik is a urologist, sexual health expert, and pelvic surgeon from across the pond.
Advert
Given her professional background, she knows her stuff when it comes to the pros and cons to men cuffing the carrot.
"Ancient Taoist literature discussed semen retention as a way of self-control," Dr Malik explained in a YouTube video on the topic.
"They believed that ejaculating was actually losing control of oneself and keeping it in, or semen retention, was actually a way to improve health and control of your body."
On not ejaculating, she added that this in itself is not a harmful thing.
"If you're getting benefits from participating in No Nut November, you're feeling more clear, you're having deeper relationships, you're feeling like you're more excited about being with your partner, and you're getting more clarity that's great go ahead and do it," she said.
Advert
"Not ejaculating doesn't have any harmful consequences that we know of; your body will essentially resorb the semen that you don't ejaculate out and so it's not a problem if you haven't ejected for a certain period of time."
Can No Nut November harm me?
Dr Malik had some concerns and it has to do with the process that surrounds the act of resisting.
She said: "One concern is that when you're going through this process, if you're trying to really focus on having orgasms without ejaculation, you can get very fixated on that prospect. It can be very hard to have a relationship, a very meaningful sexual relationship with a partner because you're very fixated on yourself.
Advert
"It can also cause a lot of stress and anxiety to go through No Nut November."
Dr Malik added that masturbation has a load of positives you can physically benefit from, including better sleep, decreased heart rate, decreased stress and a lot of increase in feel-good hormones.
Then there is something she calls 'blue balls', where you get pain in your pelvic floor or testicles due to not scratching that itch.
"A lot of you guys have heard of 'blue balls'; during arousal, you get increased blood flow to the testicles as well as everything else and usually that's decreased after you ejaculate but if you don't ejaculate, that increased pressure stays around and can be what's perceived as 'blue balls'," she explained.
"For some people, that can be quite painful and it can last for quite a period of time."
No Nut November alternative
For Dr Malik, there is another very obvious alternative that people should partake in if they want to do No Nut November or something along those lines.
Advert
Avoiding pornography altogether.
Watching content from the adult industry is linked to one major male problem that some men are struggling with earlier on in life.
Topics: Health, Mental Health, Science, Social Media
Joshua Nair