'No Nut November' (NNN) is just around the corner - but if you're thinking of abstaining from ejaculating for 30 days, you might want to listen to this medical expert's warnings first.
For the entirety of next month, some folks will be taking sex and masturbation off the menu as they take part in the viral challenge.
It's supposedly a test of willpower and self-discipline, however, this health expert reckons that partaking in it could do you more harm than good.
Dr Rena Malik previously took to her YouTube channel to explain 'how semen retention can affect you and your sexual health'.
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She explained that missing out on masturbation and intercourse during the month of November can impact your physical and mental health too, as well as your relationships.
The urologist and pelvic surgeon explained that the rules of NNN dictate that people aren't ejaculate, it doesn't mean that they can't orgasm.
But the doctor warned that if you're 'trying to really focus on having orgasms without ejaculation you can get very fixated on that prospect' and become fixated on 'edging'.
This is a sexual technique where you get extremely close to climax before calling it off - and in Dr Malik's opinion, it can be 'very hard to have a very meaningful important sexual relationship' if you're doing this.
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She explained that this could possibly cause a huge disconnect with your partner, as 'you’re fixated on yourself'.
In terms of your mental health, Dr Malik said that NNN can 'cause a lot of stress and anxiety'.
Whereas, when you're masturbating, you can enjoy the 'number of benefits' it brings which also help regulate your emotions.
These advantages include 'better sleep, decreased heart rate decreased stress and an increase in feel-good hormones', the medic said.
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Moving on to another aspect of NNN that concerns her, Dr Malik said: "The other thing that I worry about is that people can get a lot of pain and discomfort in their pelvic floor or their testicles.
"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 we perceive as 'blue balls', and for some people that can be quite painful."
And it can apparently have a bit of a lasting impact as she went on to say: “We also sometimes see men who have elevated pelvic floor tone in those who don’t masturbate or don’t ejaculate for long periods of time.
“They’re building up all this stress and tension in their pelvic floor that can result in pain.”
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While she points out there’s not really any data on this, she recommends that men who suffer with this should ‘masturbate two or three times a week’ to help with the potential pain.
In Dr Malik's expert opinion, a 'much healthier option' is to opt for 'No Fap' November instead of NNN.
This essentially means avoiding porn instead of ejaculation, as she believes that adult content 'has a lot of potentially dangerous side effects', particularly if you’re watching ‘violent’ or unrealistic stuff.
"It can actually really affect your brain and the way you perceive sex and the way you have relationships with other people,” she added.
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"So, if you want to try something new for November try to hold off on pornography rather than holding off ejaculation."
Other health experts have also stated that NNN doesn't bring many benefits - but if you're still not convinced by the professionals, you can get the information straight from the horses mouth and see what people who have taken part in the month-long challenge really thought of it.
Topics: Health, News, Sex and Relationships, Community, Mental Health
Olivia Burke