Most of us are constantly looking for new ways to improve our testosterone levels. And while weightlifting and proper nutrition have always been a logical choice, more unorthodox approaches are popping up. One of them seems to be edging. But… does edging increase testosterone?
No – there’s no scientific evidence to conclude that edging does, in fact, increase testosterone levels in men.
Even animal studies (stallions) show that sexual stimulation without ejaculation doesn’t result in elevated testosterone production (1).
What’s worse, this study found out that cortisol concentrations were elevated following a sexual stimulation session.
And why should we care about cortisol?
Because other scientific data suggests that higher levels of cortisol can directly suppress testosterone secretion by the testicles (2).
But we’ll focus on the negative aspects of edging later on, let’s first see what this thing is all about…
Also see:
What is Edging?
Edging is a sexual practice in which you stop yourself from reaching orgasm when you’ve almost reached the point of ejaculation.
After that, you calm down and resume action, while the process is supposed to be repeated several times.
And that’s why it’s called edging – you stop whatever you’re doing right at the edge of the “orgasm cliff”!
For example, when you and your GF are havin’ a good time, you do edging when you pull it out (or just stop thrusting) right before the Champagne pops, you then calm things down and continue.
Nowadays edging is often practiced by folks who want to experience better orgasms and last longer, but this sexual practice actually has its roots in science.
How was Edging Born?
The act of willfully stopping and then starting again (i.e. edging) initially saw the day of light in a 1956 edition of the Journal of Sexual Medicine (3).
The particular method mentioned in this scientific paper is known as the “Semans technique” – you repeatedly get almost to the point of ejaculation, then stop, rest and repeat.
Now, the resting intervals are meant to be about 30 secs that you should repeat at least a few times before you decide to let it all out.
All of this takes quite a bit of practice to master and it can become rather frustrating at the beginning, so be warned!
And no, I’ve never tried this technique – the closes to edging I ever got was the few times where I forced myself to stop thrusting… but only for a few short seconds.
How to Practice Edging? 3 Tested & Proven Methods!
Although edging isn’t exactly rocket science, there are 3 different methods that you can give a try if you’d like to last longer and make your lady glow with happiness.
1. The Semans Technique (Stop-Start Method)
- Get a hard-on
- Start thrusting
- Slow down or stop altogether
- Wait until the orgasm sensation is completely gone
- Resume action (start from step 1 if needed)
2. The Ballooning Method
- Find the most sensitive area of your penis
- Start moving one of your fingers in circular motions around that area and ONLY that area
- Continue rubbing the sensitive area until you’re 100% hard
- Keep doing it until you feel that you’re about to ejaculate
- Stop rubbing your penis and don’t touch it
- Calm down and let it go back to baseline (soft)
- Proceed with repeating steps 1-6
3. The Squeeze Method
- Get a hard-on
- Start stimulating yourself
- Once you start feeling you’re about to cum, squeeze the head of your wiener to stop the sensation that you’re about to ejaculate
- Halt any stimulation for around 30 seconds
- After you’ve rested long enough, repeat the whole process several times
Are there any Harmful Effects of Edging?
Not exactly since edging won’t have any dire implications on your health.
And while I couldn’t find any specific studies to suggest that edging might be bad for your health, there are still minor disadvantages associated with using this sexual technique.
So without further ado – here are 4 edging cons that you might want to consider before trying it:
1. Inability to ejaculate (anorgasmia)
Although you’re trying to avoid premature ejaculation by doing edging, you might actually end up having delayed ejaculation.
In fact, you might experience anorgasmia – this is when you simply can’t reach orgasm from regular sexual stimulation.
The cause of all this can be simple fatigue or exhaustion from all the edging you’re doing.
So don’t go overboard if you’re into this sexual practice – do edging in a rational and reasonable manner.
2. Loss of presence in the bedroom
While doing edging, you might inadvertently end up concentrating too much on the actual edging method, instead of just enjoying sex.
As a result, all the pleasure and connection that you have with your girl will be gone.
Who cares if you can last longer if all you’re thinking about during sex is how many more seconds you’ll have to wait until you start again.
3. Orgasms aren’t as enjoyable
Edging might easily become the focal point of your sex life, so much so that ejaculating might not be as enjoyable anymore.
You might find yourself too attached to all the arousing associated with edging that you could end up being a bit disappointed when you do actually pop the Champagne.
So you could eventually end up enjoying edging more than the actual act of having sex with your partner… and that’s not cool.
4. Becoming less sensitive to lower-arousal conditions
The more you do edging, the higher the chance that you might build up a tolerance to lower-arousal sex or foreplay.
All the stimulation followed by stopping and repeating can blunt the physical sensation of your penis with time.
If you start seeing symptoms of waning sensation or just lack of stimulation during foreplay or even sex, immediately take a break from edging.
This technique should never replace or come before sexual intercourse in terms of pure enjoyment.
Does Edging Work?
Yes, edging is an efficient sexual technique that can definitely help you last longer.
Just take my advice – don’t overdo it!
With that being said – here are 3 of the main benefits of this method:
3 Benefits of Edging
Just as there are cons to this method, there are also a few key benefits, which are the reason people resort to edging in the first place:
1. Helps you to last longer
Since edging lets you learn how to control your orgasms, you’ll be able to last longer and who wouldn’t want that?
Additionally, you can also use this technique to get a grip on your pleasure tolerance prior to ejaculating.
This is also one of the go-to methods for guys dealing with premature ejaculation.
2. Keeps you at the highest physical arousal
Edging helps you to stay at the stage right before you ejaculate, which is known as the highest physical arousal.
Thus, this method will keep you at this stage for as long as you want (within reason) for supposedly better orgasms.
But this is sort of a double-edged sword as it might actually make you cherish the pre-orgasm stage more than the actual act of ejaculating.
3. Gives you psychological pleasure
In a psychological sense, edging can provide benefits in the realm of feeling competent and being in control of the situation.
We men love to feel adequate, competent and in control so that’s always a good thing.
And if you’re feeling more confident while fooling around with your girl, that’ll show and she’ll definitely like it.
Does Edging Increase Sperm Count?
Yes, it does increase the amount of sperm that’s ejaculated but only if abstinence is present.
So that means that I shouldn’t ejaculate each day, regardless of edging?
Yep – if you’re ejaculating on a daily basis your sperm stores will be depleted.
But when you abstain from reaching orgasm for a few days, your sperm stores will end up being higher and as a result, you’ll release more sperm when you bust a nut.
However, keep in mind that seminal fluid and sperm are both continuously produced!
Also, semen volume will not increase when you’re exposed to prolonged stimulation.
Or to put it in layman’s terms – your sperm count won’t increase just because you’re stimulating (or overstimulating) yourself.
What about the 7 Day Abstinence Testosterone Peak?
The famous ‘7-day testosterone peak’ thing comes from a particular study that shows how powerful abstinence can be for us men.
It’s a study conducted by Chinese researchers and scientists who found that there’s a correlation between abstinence, ejaculation and variations in serum testosterone levels.
They found that after 7 days of abstinence, the serum testosterone levels of the men observed peaked by getting up to 145% of baseline values (4)!
However, no fluctuations of the T levels worth noting were stopped after the peak on the 7th day.
That’s why this study proposes that following a plan of “nut once every 7th day” can be an effective tool for reaching that peak.
But I know that many of you will start arguing that 7 days is too much (especially if you have a GF/wife) and you might have a point.
Still, it’s worth mentioning that researchers point out the fact that orgasm (busting a nut) is the precondition that kickstarts this unique periodic variation in serum testosterone levels.
Conclusion
Apparently, there’s a lack of scientific evidence to suggest that edging plays any role in increasing testosterone levels in men.
Does that make this sexual practice pointless? Not really.
It still has its place as a tool to help you last longer, but you should remember that overdoing it might hinder the pleasure you get from sex.
Now – have you personally tried edging and what do you think about it?
Leave your answer in the comment section below!
I’ve been fascinated by natural male hormone optimization since 2016. And ever since I’ve been going through boatloads of different meta-analyses and scientific data associated with increasing testosterone levels naturally. I hold a PhD degree in public health and have 10+ scientific publications on Google Scholar. Thus, in my collective work here you’ll find helpful tricks, natural remedies, detailed product reviews (including stuff I’ve personally tried)… and more!
I've been fascinated by natural male hormone optimization since 2016. And ever since I've been going through boatloads of different meta-analyses and scientific data associated with increasing testosterone levels naturally. I hold a PhD degree in public health and have 10+ scientific publications on Google Scholar. Thus, in my collective work here you'll find helpful tricks, natural remedies, detailed product reviews (including stuff I've personally tried)... and more!
I personally feel like the amount of semen also increases if practise edging few minutes before the actual ejaculation. It makes the semen more liquidy which i guess will be beneficial for those who wants to conceive.
Since the semen got more liquidy in my case that is probably the cause of increase in load size.
As when i simply ejaculate on first try, the semen was a little more viscous but smaller in volume.
I tried the 7-day abstinence experiment in the past and it was extremely difficult considering prior to that I would nut at least once per day. but I did notice that by day 7 of abstaining my testicles were noticeably larger, heavier, and the sperm volume was larger. The sperm volume increase lasted months. I recommend Nutting no more than once per day and abstaining for 7 days once per month. Also make sure your microbiome (especially in the reproductive system) is properly balanced. it’s vital for hormone balance.
Hi there JD and welcome to Tnerd.
Glad to hear that you found abstaining from masturbation beneficial.
It’s especially helpful if you’re in a long-term relationship to keep your sex drive up and not drain yourself alone (literally).
On a side note, there’s a reason why the Lord intended sex to be a thing between a man and a woman, not something that you do on your own.
Cheers and God bless,
— Simon