How often should a man ejaculate?

How often should a man ejaculate? We found no NHS or NICE guidance that sets a healthy number, for sex or for masturbation. The only frequency in the NICE guidance we read is for couples trying for a baby. Research offers two sets of findings instead: one on prostate cancer risk, and one on sperm quality for couples trying for a baby. Both come with limits worth knowing before you count anything.

How often do men ejaculate?

It varies a lot. In Britain's national sex surveys, the median man aged 16 to 44 reported having sex three times in the past month, in all three surveys (completed in 1991, 2001 and 2012). In the latest, 29.2% of men in that age group had had no sex in the past month and 14.4% had had sex 10 or more times (Wellings and colleagues, BMJ, 2019). Those figures count occasions of sex, not ejaculations, so they are only a rough guide. Masturbation is common too: in the survey run from 1999 to 2001, 73% of men aged 16 to 44 said they had masturbated in the past four weeks (Gerressu and colleagues, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2008).

Does ejaculating more often lower the risk of prostate cancer?

It might, but the evidence shows a link rather than proof. A large US study followed 31,925 health professionals from 1992 to 2010 (Rider and colleagues, European Urology, 2016). Men who reported 21 or more ejaculations a month had a lower risk of prostate cancer than men who reported 4 to 7. The hazard ratios were 0.81 for frequency at age 20 to 29 and 0.78 for frequency at age 40 to 49, which works out as about 19% and 22% lower. The link was driven by low-risk cancers. An earlier analysis of the same group said its results suggest that ejaculation frequency is not related to an increased risk of prostate cancer (Leitzmann and colleagues, JAMA, 2004).

Other studies give a mixed picture:

• A study by Cancer Council Victoria in Australia found that men who averaged five or more ejaculations a week in their 20s had lower odds of prostate cancer than men who ejaculated less often (Giles and colleagues, BJU International, 2003).
• A 2018 analysis pooling 22 studies with 55,490 participants linked 2 to 4 ejaculations a week with a slightly lower risk (odds ratio 0.91), but found no straight-line pattern (Jian and colleagues, Journal of Sexual Medicine). Of the 22 studies, 21 were case-control studies, which compare men with and without the disease, so the authors say cause and effect should be read with caution.
• A UK study of men diagnosed at 60 or younger found that frequent masturbation in the 20s and 30s was a marker of higher risk, while in the 50s it appeared linked with lower risk (Dimitropoulou and colleagues, BJU International, 2009). The authors say reverse causation may explain part of the later finding.

The studies above that collected their own data relied on men's own reports of how often they ejaculated, sometimes decades earlier. The NHS says you may have a higher chance of getting prostate cancer if you're over 50, if you're from a Black African or African Caribbean ethnic background, or if prostate cancer is in your family history or a close relative has had pancreatic, breast or ovarian cancer, particularly at a young age. If you're worried about your risk, it says to speak to a GP, even if you have no symptoms.

What the main studies found

	Who was studied.	What it found.	Limits.
Rider and colleagues (2016)	31,925 US health professionals, followed from 1992 to 2010	21 or more ejaculations a month, against 4 to 7, linked with a lower risk of prostate cancer, mainly low-risk cancers	Self-reported, partly from memory; a mostly white group of US health professionals
Giles and colleagues (2003)	Men diagnosed with prostate cancer before 70, and men of the same age without it	Five or more ejaculations a week in their 20s linked with lower odds of prostate cancer	Compares men after diagnosis, so memories may differ
Dimitropoulou and colleagues (2009)	431 men diagnosed at 60 or younger and 409 men without prostate cancer	Frequent masturbation in the 20s and 30s linked with higher risk; lower risk in the 50s	Reverse causation may explain part of the later finding, the authors say
Jian and colleagues (2018)	22 studies with 55,490 participants	2 to 4 ejaculations a week linked with a slightly lower risk; no straight-line pattern	21 of the 22 studies were case-control, so cause and effect is uncertain
Levitas and colleagues (2005)	9,489 semen samples from 6,008 men at a fertility unit	In normal samples, sperm movement and shape were poorer after 11 to 14 days without ejaculating	Looked back at lab records of sperm measures in men having fertility tests
Clay and colleagues (2026)	A narrative review of 15 studies on abstinence and sperm quality	Supports ejaculating every 1 to 3 days (its abstract says 1 to 2), or daily in the fertile window, when trying for a baby	Mostly observational studies, which limits firm conclusions

Most of this evidence is observational: it shows links between habits and health, and cannot prove cause and effect.

How often should you ejaculate when trying for a baby?

NICE's advice is vaginal sex every 2 to 3 days: its fertility guideline says this gives the best chance of pregnancy. The NHS says someone aged 39 or under who has sex without contraception every 2 to 3 days is likely to get pregnant within a year.

Sperm research supports regular ejaculation too. Longer gaps raise semen volume and sperm count, but long gaps can harm sperm movement and DNA. In 9,489 semen samples from a fertility unit, normal samples showed poorer sperm movement and shape after 11 to 14 days without ejaculating (Levitas and colleagues, Fertility and Sterility, 2005). A 2026 narrative review of 15 studies in Translational Andrology and Urology concluded that ejaculating every 1 to 3 days (its abstract says every 1 to 2 days), or daily during the fertile window, helps maintain sperm quality for couples trying to conceive (Clay and colleagues). It adds that the data are mostly observational, which limits how firm any conclusion can be.

If you've been trying for a baby for a year or more, the NHS says to speak to a GP.

How many times can a man ejaculate in a day?

We found no reliable figure. After each orgasm comes a refractory period, when another erection or ejaculation is held back, and a 2009 review in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found remarkably little data on it in men (Levin). A 2026 review of ejaculation frequency and fertility (Clay and colleagues) says very frequent ejaculation, several times a day, is understudied. It also reports that sperm production keeps up with daily ejaculation: sperm counts fall by the third consecutive day and then level off, and total output over a week stays above one billion sperm. Our guide to the male orgasm explains the refractory period.

Is it bad to ejaculate every day?

For sperm, the evidence suggests not. The 2026 review by Clay and colleagues says daily or alternate-day ejaculation appears safe and effective for most men, and that frequent ejaculation does not deplete sperm production. In one small study of 20 men who ejaculated daily for 14 days (Welliver and colleagues, Translational Andrology and Urology, 2016), semen volume, sperm concentration and total motile sperm count fell, mostly in the first three days, and then levelled off, while sperm movement and shape did not change significantly.

Is it unhealthy not to ejaculate or masturbate?

For fertility, holding back doesn't seem to help. The 2026 review by Clay and colleagues says current evidence does not support claims that "semen retention" improves fertility, and that routinely abstaining for more than 3 to 5 days appears unnecessary, and may be counterproductive, for men trying for a baby. In the large US study above, men who ejaculated 4 to 7 times a month had a higher risk than men who ejaculated 21 or more times, though that link may not be cause and effect.

If you've simply lost interest in sex, the NHS lists many possible causes, from stress and relationship problems to some medicines: see low sex drive in men.

When should you see a GP?

• you have a persistent problem with ejaculation, such as coming too soon or being unable to ejaculate
• you have blood in your semen
• it hurts when you ejaculate
• you've been trying for a baby for a year or more
• you're worried about a low sex drive, or about your prostate cancer risk

For STI worries, a sexual health clinic can help, and you don't usually need a GP referral. More answers are in men's sex questions, answered.