Ep. 155: 7 Reasons Why No Nut November Is a Waste of Your Time

[00:02] Semen Quality & No Nut November

Ep. 155: 7 Reasons Why No Nut November Is a Waste of Your Time

Host: Dr. Kanwal Bawa | Guest: Marcelo | Runtime: 21:03 | Published: November 19, 2024

Dr. Bawa: I think one of the most important things that people misunderstand about it is that they're doing it to improve semen quality, but in reality it reduces semen quality. You see, the longer semen sits around, the worse the quality of the sperm gets.

Dr. Bawa: I am Dr. Kanwal Bawa, America's favorite sex doctor, and I am here to transform your life. Today's episode is going to focus on the concept of No Nut November and why I think it's a complete waste of your time. Before we go further, make sure you subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel, Dr. Sex Fairy, for more great content, including many video episodes, my TV appearances, and more. Getting back to today's topic, while the idea of semen retention isn't new, No Nut November is a trend that started on online forums like Reddit in 2011. Men don't masturbate or have sex for the month of November.

Dr. Bawa: Then again, others say that it is okay to masturbate as long as they don't ejaculate. It seems that we firmly believe in the idea of deprivation as a way to achieve better performance and health. The topic came up during an unrelated conversation at our office recently. Our team member Marcelo had questions, and I decided to bring that conversation to the Dr. Sex Fairy Podcast so that you can all benefit from it. Coming up next is my conversation with Marcelo and six reasons why No Nut November is a waste of your time.

Dr. Bawa: Hi, Marcelo. Welcome to the Dr. Sex Fairy Podcast.

[02:13] Marcelo Joins the Conversation

Marcelo: Hi, Dr. Bawa. It's nice to be talking to you and sharing this conversation with other people. So I have some questions about this whole concept. You said that semen retention is not a new concept, so how long have people been talking about it?

Dr. Bawa: The concept of semen retention goes back centuries, thousands of years, if anything. Taoists in China used to talk about it. Indian mythology talks about it. And the idea of improving performance isn't new. This concept of semen retention seems to have been pervading our psyche right from the beginning. Men seem to think that if they deprive themselves of sex, somehow magically they will have better sex. But this is so far from the truth. And you know how I talk about this in the office all the time and to our patients. It's the concept of use it or lose it. If you are not having sex, if you're not ejaculating, you are not helping yourself. You are in fact losing your ability to perform well. You are losing true health.

[03:14] Pornography, Addiction & Sexual Performance

Marcelo: Okay, so now, in modern days, I think it should be somehow—it must be related to porn addiction or something like that. Is there any relation?

Dr. Bawa: I think that's a great question. People often think that pornography is one of the things you avoid as part of No Nut November, but No Nut November in and of itself is about ejaculation. It's about sex, masturbation, all of that. It's got nothing to do with pornography. Now people often think that pornography is the root cause of many of our problems today. I beg to differ. As I've always said, I have no skin in the game. I don't own Pornhub. I'm not a porn star. What do I care? I'm just being honest about it. I don't think pornography within limits is causing these problems. So I don't think avoiding pornography is necessarily going to somehow transform your sex life. Now, you could be addicted to pornography just like you could be addicted to alcohol or addicted to smoking. It's the same thing. I don't think that it's any different than that. Pornography within limits is not going to affect your ability to perform in bed. It’s just not.

Marcelo: That's interesting because most people blame pornography for, you know, difficulties in the bedroom, poor performance, and all that kind of stuff. So I want to know—I want to hear more about that.

Dr. Bawa: Well, what happens is that people often blame pornography for men's ability to get hard. They say that because people are watching unrealistic things on screen, that they can't get turned on by their average partner in the bedroom. But the thing is, pornography is entertainment. It should not be seen as education. You aren't going to a porn film to learn any great relationship tools. You are just going there to get turned on. As long as you keep that in mind, I don't think pornography is really going to hurt your relationship. Many people like to watch it just to get things started with their partner. So it's not necessarily the enemy. Women like to watch porn. Why do we blame men all the time? And in fact, women seem to like watching gay porn a lot, believe it or not. The statistics are very interesting on this. So again, like I said earlier, you could have a food addiction, you could have a porn addiction, you could have an addiction to just about anything. As long as pornography is not interfering with your ability to go to work, it's not interfering with your relationship, with your sense of self, it's not necessarily a bad thing. It's okay. Some people need it, some people don't. Some people like it, some people don't. It's like anything. If you want it, you do it. If you don't, you don't. Why are we judging people all the time? I am so tired of this society the way it is nowadays. Everybody's just out to judge everybody, to run everybody else down.

[06:04] Does Abstinence Improve Self-Control?

Marcelo: We've been discussing why No Nut November is not a good idea, and you have a number of reasons for that, so I want to hear more about that.

Dr. Bawa: I think this is great. You and I have such great conversations in the office. Our patients ask us questions. We're just a fun place to work. And we have such interesting and provocative conversations that this is a perfect example of one. Now, there are people who firmly believe in No Nut November. They are absolutely convinced that this is the way to improve performance, this is the way to improve self-control, this is the way to just live a better life. Now, I'm not telling somebody that if they want to abstain from sex for a month, that's a bad thing. I'm not saying that at all. All I'm saying is don't do it for the reasons that No Nut November people seem to think they're doing it for. Does that make sense?

Marcelo: Part of it does make sense, but not everything. So, we talk about this with friends, and especially the part about self-control doesn't make sense at all.

[07:09] Reason 1: Semen Quality & Fertility

Dr. Bawa: Think about this. If somebody is not having sex for a month, they are actually going to have less control when they finally have sex, not better control. Because if a man has abstained for a while, the first few times after he gets back in the game, he's not going to last as long. So I think this is just nuts in and of itself. But this isn't even the reason why I think it's such a crazy concept. I think one of the most important things that people misunderstand about it is that they're doing it to improve semen quality, but in reality, it reduces semen quality. You see, the longer semen sits around, the worse the quality of the sperm gets. And there was this study in 2019, it was published in the journal Andrology, and according to that, if you wait more than four days to ejaculate, it actually lowers your sperm quality. So who is this helping? It's not helping them. And when I talk about sperm quality, I'm talking about specifics. I'm talking about the motility and the morphology of the sperm, which basically means how it moves and what it looks like. So this means that if you wait too long to ejaculate, your sperm is not going to move as well and it's not going to look the same. The shape itself is going to change. So if the idea is to improve your fertility, well, sorry, gentlemen, you're actually hurting your fertility. In fact, if these men are trying to get their partner pregnant, they shouldn't be waiting around for more than a couple of days to have sex and ejaculate.

Marcelo: That's interesting. I remember watching a YouTube video about autopsy. I used to watch those videos all the time. You can call me crazy; I just enjoy watching it. This episode was about the male reproductive system, and the guy was dissecting the—I was going to say—the balls. And he was showing that after a while, the sperm that's retained there gets reabsorbed by the body. So I don't actually understand why this would be a good idea at all.

[09:21] Reason 2: Testosterone Does Not Get a Boost

Dr. Bawa: Truly, there's nothing to be gained from this No Nut November. What really bothers me is that these men are being sold a story. They are being sold this fallacy that somehow their sperm is actually getting better, that the semen retention is helping them. And it's not. Not on any level. The same idea holds true for even testosterone levels. This is a major reason why a lot of men are doing No Nut November. They want to increase their testosterone level. But No Nut November and abstinence not ejaculating is not going to help your testosterone. It's just not. There was this one study. It was a small study, and people keep quoting that one, and it's since been debunked. This just isn't true. Your testosterone levels simply aren't going to go up because of a month of abstinence and not ejaculating. There are way, way, way better ways to get the job done than depriving yourself of sex for a whole month. I mean, there's testosterone replacement therapy. You don't even have to get shots if you don't want to. We can do gels, we can do creams, we can do patches. And then there's my Dr. Sex Fairy supplement Renew. It’s a testosterone booster. People anywhere in the world can improve their testosterone level while still having sex. So why deprive yourself of this?

[10:38] Signs of Low Testosterone

Marcelo: Wow. Okay, so what should we be looking for as a sign of lower testosterone?

Dr. Bawa: Low libido is a big one. You may not have desire for sex, you may have a difference in your erectile function. Your erections may not be as hard as they used to be, they may not come as quickly, they may not last as long. That's a sign of low testosterone. Also, muscle mass. Maybe you're not putting muscle on like you used to in the gym. You may even be feeling really distracted at work or not listening to your partner as much, and your partner's complaining, hey, are you listening? You may feel a little depressed. Now, I'm not saying that all these symptoms are only because of low testosterone, but low testosterone can certainly cause all of these symptoms. And these are just a few, just a few of the signs.

[11:26] Reason 3: Sex, Ejaculation & Immunity

Marcelo: When we were talking earlier, you said something really interesting about sex and immunity. Can we go into that?

Dr. Bawa: Sure, we should absolutely discuss that. That's an important one, because ejaculation and sexual activity have been linked to a stronger immune response. You see, there's a release of certain hormones and immune boosting chemicals, and when you have more sex, you are actually less likely to get sick. It boosts your immunoglobulin A or IgA, and studies have actually shown this. It's an antibody, which basically means it's a fighter. It keeps your body from getting infections. It's a defense mechanism that your body has. And the more sex you have, the more IgA you have. Isn't that crazy? Isn't that interesting?

Marcelo: Yeah, it really is, actually.

Dr. Bawa: The other thing sex does, it's promoting relaxation, it's reducing stress, and it releases endorphins, feel good hormones, you know, oxytocin, I've talked about it before on this podcast, and these help lower stress, and lower stress levels boost immunity. Studies have shown the world over that chronic stress is going to weaken your immune system over time. So if you're not having sex for a whole month, well, you just forced yourself to lower your own immunity, didn't you? The other thing that sexual activity is doing is improving your circulation, because arousal and orgasms will increase your heart rate and improve blood flow. And that will help circulate those immune cells all over your body. It's a really efficient way to do that. So again, if you aren't having sex for a whole month, you're not having great circulation in that sense for a whole month, your immune cells, the ones you do have, aren't really circulating like they usually would. Ejaculation also lowers cortisol levels. Now, a lot of people have talked about cortisol as something that causes weight gain, but hey, high cortisol levels actually suppress immune function. So reducing cortisol levels through sexual function and sexual activity actually strengthens the immune system.

Marcelo: How interesting. I would never have guessed that.

Dr. Bawa: Well, that's why you have me, Dr. Sex Fairy, doing the Lord’s work here, educating the world about why they should have more sex. There's another reason why No-Nut November will lower your immunity. You see, studies have shown that when you have sex, it increases your body's production of certain white blood cells. And these are again essential for fighting infection. So if you're having less sex, you have fewer white blood cells, and so you're more likely to get sick.

Marcelo: Well, I guess sex is really good for our health.

[13:59] Reason 4: The “Life Force” Claim

Dr. Bawa: Oh yes, it is. There's a lot about No Nut November that drives me crazy. But there's one particular concept that drives me really crazy, and that's the concept of life force. I’ve heard some biohackers talking about it. I have heard many tantrics talking about it, and there is absolutely no scientific basis to this. I mean, what is life force really? Vitality? How is vitality improving if you're having less sex? I'm not saying that you have to have sex to have good vitality, but depriving yourself of it isn't going to help you either.

Marcelo: That's funny. It sounds like both life's energy, or your vitality, and your sex energy come from the same pot. So if you use it for one thing, you're going to have less for the other. And I guess it's the opposite.

[14:44] Reason 5: Blue Balls & Sexual Tension

Dr. Bawa: It really is, because good sex, connected sex, is going to increase your vitality, not reduce it. So I don't think that No Nut November is onto anything here. I think the whole concept is flawed. And then there's the whole concept of blue balls. Men joke about it all the time. Oh my God, she brought me right to the point and then she didn't really want to have sex and she gave me blue balls. What is blue balls? It's epididymal hypertension. It's when you bring yourself to that point, but you don't give yourself the release. Now don't tell me that men who are going through a month of No Nut November aren't getting turned on, aren't getting hard, they're just not taking it through to the next level, they're just not finishing the job. So they are building up that tension, and that's not necessarily a good thing. I'm not saying that it's going to ruin their performance long term, but it's not helping in any way either. It's also uncomfortable in many cases. So how is that a good thing?

Marcelo: Do the balls really turn blue? Do they hurt?

Dr. Bawa: No, they don't really turn blue. It's more of a concept. And they can hurt. Some cases you hear about people saying that it was painful, some people say it was just a pressure, and some people seem unaffected. But yeah, it is definitely an issue. I think blue balls aren't a good thing. And if they ejaculate, they don't have this problem. So why not ejaculate?

Marcelo: Yeah, sex is the treatment.

Dr. Bawa: Sex or masturbation. Have sex with yourself.

Marcelo: Yeah, that's right. How do partners feel about this?

[16:15] Reason 6: Relationships & Sexual Connection

Dr. Bawa: I don't see how it helps any relationship. As it is, 20% of marriages in America are sexless. Do we really need to make it worse? How is it helping? Your partner is going to feel deprived, your partner is going to feel shunned on some level, and that's not going to help your relationship. If that's not going to help your relationship, how is it helping your life on the whole? No Nut November isn't increasing your testosterone levels, it's reducing your immunity, it's hurting your relationship, it's hurting your semen quality. How is it helping?

Marcelo: I guess, after all, you shouldn't be getting all the information from the internet. It's not really helpful, and it's not going to make you any better.

[16:55] Be Careful Where You Get Sexual-Health Advice

Dr. Bawa: No, I agree with you. There's nothing to be gained from it. And a lot of people are getting their information from people who have no qualifications, none whatsoever. All these sexperts—did they go to medical school? Are they all licensed PhD psychologists? Where are they getting their information from? Who is actually coming up with all this nonsense? Oh, and by the way, talking about PhD psychologists, there are some people out there, in fact, some prominent podcasters, you'd be very surprised. They got their fake PhD from unaccredited institutions and they go around calling themselves doctors so-and-so. So even that, I guess, is a bit of a shitshow. You don't really even know if they are really qualified to be talking about it. At the very least, do some homework, at least look these people up a little bit, to whatever extent you can. Try to get your information from legitimate medical sources. A medical doctor is going to be far more helpful to you than Reddit. I don't think most medical doctors are going to tell you to avoid sex for a month for all this so-called nonsensical improvement, mythical improvement in your life. I think this conversation is a very important one. Many people are going to listen to this episode and they're going to rethink No Nut November. I think they're going to rethink what people have been telling them, what their friends have been telling them. And my hope is that people actually forward this episode to their friends and increase the reach of this episode because more people need to talk about this. More people need to learn the facts behind all of this. Reddit isn't where you go for your information, people. Have I said it enough times? This is not going to help you. It's going to hurt you. Also, Marcelo, did you know that if you ejaculate 21 or more times a month, you have a lower risk of prostate cancer?

[18:43] Reason 7: Ejaculation & Prostate Cancer Risk

Marcelo: I heard you saying that in one of the other episodes.

Dr. Bawa: It's an important concept. And it doesn't have to just be sex. You can have sex with yourself, right? You can masturbate. It doesn't have to be finding a partner 21 times a month. It's about releasing that sperm, releasing that semen 21 times a month. That's what's doing it. It's keeping those pipes flowing, baby. So I guess is that seven reasons why No Nut November is a crazy concept? Because I just gave you another one, right? You have a lower risk of cancer if you ejaculate more. So I guess it's seven things.

Marcelo: Yeah, that's right. Just forget about No Nut November. It doesn't make sense at all.

[19:20] Marcelo’s Takeaway

Dr. Bawa: Doesn't make sense at all. Marcelo, thank you for being a champ and having this conversation on a mic. I know you're a little bit out of your comfort zone. You're usually behind the scenes, not on a mic having a conversation about such intimate topics. But I think we have helped people today.

Marcelo: Yeah, I'm just lucky to be here and have access to all that information from the best source. So I'm just happy we're able to share that with other people. Thank you.

[19:47] Closing: Balance, Not Deprivation

Dr. Bawa: Thank you for coming on the show. Thank you for tuning in to today's episode of the Dr. Sex Fairy Podcast. I hope I've shed some light on why No Nut November isn't all it's cracked up to be, and why many of its supposed benefits lack scientific backing. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast and follow me on TikTok at Dr. Sex Fairy and Instagram at the Real Dr. Sex Fairy. You can find Dr. Sex Fairy supplements in the podcast description below. You can also request an in-office or virtual consultation or coaching session with me by clicking on the contact link below. Remember, sexual health is an essential part of overall well-being, and denying natural urges without reason can do more harm than good. Embrace the freedom that comes with understanding your body and rejecting myths that hold you back. True wellness is about balance, not deprivation, and honoring what genuinely nourishes you. Until next time.