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Semen Retention Meaning & Everything else you need to know

Guys love cumming and there’s no two words about that. Orgasm is an extremely important part of the whole sexual experience. It is the final testimony of the insane amount of pleasure your partner gave you throughout the session.

But some guys enjoy reisisting it. This is actually an age-old belief in various sections of the population who like to abstain from ejaculation for various reasons. Weird. Isn’t it?

In this article we’ll explore all those aspects and try to give you some clarity on what this semen retention is all about. So hold your balls and read on!

What is Semen Retention?

Semen retention is the act of resisting the urge to ejaculate by various methods. Guys either abstain from sex or masturbation all together or just resist the urge to climax even if they do the acts. In some cases, guys train themselves how to clench their sphincter muscles to halt ejaculation during intercourse!

Is Semen Retention good for your health?

Well, there aren’t any recorded health effects from retaining semen; positive or negative.

However, clenching sphincter muscles to stop yourself from ejaculating can have really dangerous outcomes. There have been several cases where the trapped semen ended up crawling back into the bladder causing immense pain and discomfort in the urinary tract. This is medically known as “retrograde ejaculation”.

So then why do some guys do this at all. What’s the point of semen retention anyway?

There are various schools of thought when it comes to justifying this.

According to sex health columnist of GQ, Kenneth Play, semen retention comes from the chinese rituals:

“…found in ancient Daoist sexual traditions, popularized in modern times by Mantak Chia, but centers around a philosophy of shortening the refractory period after orgasm or being able to last longer all as part of bringing harmony to your life force and lovemaking.”

But in modern times, semen retention can mean multiple things to multiple people. More often than not the reason lies in the approach to retain the semen and not the act itself.

Here are some reasons guys have in mind:

  1. Practice Celibacy
    Mostly for religious reasons, many guys abstain from any kind of sexual pleasures and that includes the act of climaxing.

  2. To have a thicker consistency and bigger load
    When you don’t release for days on end, the ejaculate gets thicker. This is especially prominent in guys who don’t have a good volume. So they tend to hold on for a few days, even edge at times in between and finally when the day comes, they blast off in space. Jk. But yea you get the point.

  3. Submission to your partner
    One of the most popular reasons. Here, the guys are not “allowed” to orgasm in any manner by their dominant partner. A major aspect of FemDom arises from this notion of denying self-pleasure for weeks on end.

  4. Masochism and self-pain
    Some guys enjoy self pain more than anything else. They enjoy stopping the cum midway and relish the agonising pain that might follow due to this act! No judgments though, you do you 🙂

But should you practice semen retention?

Honestly, there’s no need unless you’re really into it. This could rather be labelled as a kink. In the medical world, there are again mixed beliefs on this. Some like the sex coach Stephen Burforf believes that semen retention is

“…not only helpful for the body in long term but is also a means to achieve high intensity orgasms”.

But on the other hand, relationship therapist Stephen Snyder argues that,

“it’s hazardous for most men to set themselves a performance goal such as retaining semen during orgasm… furthermore they tend to get too obsessed with the technical aspect, and they forget to connect with their partner.”

Therefore, like all other kinks, if this comes naturally to you, then well and good. If not, then its better if you let it be and enjoy in your own accord.


After reading this article, you do want to give this a shot. How do you begin with semen retention?

There are various ways to go about it:

  • Try having orgasms repeatedly at first
    That sounds counterintuitive but isn’’t. After releasing 3-4 times, you will find it increasingly difficult to cum. Don’t stop stroking. It is at this moment when you need to acclimate your shaft to the stroking sensation and make it get “used to it”.
    So teach your body how to “dry-orgasm” and things will never be the same again!

  • Practise edging for HOURS
    Yes you read that right. Try getting very very close to the point of no return and hold back, Calm yourself down and go again. You can try distracting your mind by rapid breathing techniques or trying to clench your fists or anything that suits you. Basically don’t go over the edge.
    This continuous cycle of going up and down with your hormonal cycle helps immensely if you’re planning to hold your cum.

  • Work on increasing your stamina
    Strengthen your pelvic muscles by kegel workout routines and a good diet. This will help you get a better grip over yourself in climatic situations. WIth a stronger core and firm muscles down your crotch you can actually have voluntary control over your time of ejaculation!

The final word

As i already said, do this only if you really wanna try. There are no apparent health benefits be it physiological or psychological with semen retention. In some extreme cases, things have only become worse with retrograde ejaculation and other complications.

Therefore, tread at your own pace and only do things that you love!