Why more sex may lower prostate cancer risk

A number of studies have found that greater ejaculation frequency is associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer.

One such study was co-authored by Lorelei Mucci, professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The 2016 study found that ejaculating more than 20 times per month reduced prostate cancer risk by about 20% compared to ejaculating only four to seven times per month, for both men in their 20s and 40s. “This is a fairly sizable effect,” she said in a March 22, 2022 article in Fatherly.

One possible explanation for why frequent ejaculation might protect against prostate cancer is that it may help clear potentially cancer-causing substances from the prostate, Mucci said.

She noted that, overall, ejaculation has many benefits and few risks if done safely. “Sex can be a wonderful part of healthy relationships, and sex and masturbation can have positive psychosocial effects,” she said. “So, there is no downside to increased sex—or masturbation—as long as it is protected sex.”

Read the Fatherly article: Having More Sex Could Lower Your Risk of Prostate Cancer