Masturbation Myths vs. Evidence: Blindness, Infertility, Hair Loss, ED and More

"You'll go blind." "It will make you infertile." "It causes hair loss." Many people grow up hearing warnings like these, and some still carry quiet worries into adulthood. This guide goes through the most common masturbation myths one by one and compares each with what medical institutions and peer-reviewed research actually show. It also covers the few real issues that are worth paying attention to.

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Where today's masturbation myths came from historically
What the evidence says about vision, fertility, penis size, hair loss, and erections
Which concerns are real (technique, skin irritation, compulsive use) and which are not
When a symptom deserves a visit to a doctor instead of a search engine

Where the myths came from

Most masturbation myths are not ancient wisdom. Many trace back to the 18th century. As researchers Felix Zimmer and Roland Imhoff summarize, the early 1700s saw the publication of a pamphlet called Onania, which blamed masturbation for a range of physical symptoms. Later, the Swiss physician Samuel-Auguste Tissot expanded on the idea of a "post-masturbatory disease" in his own work (Zimmer & Imhoff, 2020). These ideas spread widely and shaped medical and moral advice for generations.

Modern medicine has not found support for them. Cleveland Clinic states plainly that "there are many myths about masturbation, but research hasn't proven any of them to be true," and lists conditions that masturbation does not cause (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). Zimmer and Imhoff, writing in a peer-reviewed journal, likewise begin from "the lack of evidence for negative health effects of masturbation."

Based on Zimmer & Imhoff (2020) and Cleveland Clinic (2022), as cited in the article.

Myth vs. evidence at a glance

Myth	What the evidence says
It causes blindness or vision loss	Not supported. Listed by Cleveland Clinic as a myth.
It causes hairy palms	Not supported. Listed by Cleveland Clinic as a myth.
It causes infertility or a low sperm count	Not supported. Semen quality is linked to abstinence length in complex ways, but masturbation does not cause infertility.
It shrinks or bends the penis	Not supported. Listed by Cleveland Clinic as a myth.
It causes hair loss	No study links the two. Pattern hair loss is tied to genetics and the hormone DHT.
It causes erectile dysfunction	Not supported as a general effect. Very rough or unusual technique can affect partnered sex, which is a separate issue.
It causes mental illness	Not supported. Guilt or compulsive patterns can cause distress, but masturbation itself is not a cause of mental illness.

Myths listed by Cleveland Clinic (2022) and in the article's table. Hair loss is tied to genetics and DHT (MedlinePlus).

Myth 1: "You'll go blind" (and other body-damage myths)

Vision loss, hairy palms, and mental illness all appear on Cleveland Clinic's list of things masturbation does not cause (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). There is no known biological mechanism by which masturbation would damage the eyes, and no research has shown such an effect. These warnings are best understood as historical scare tactics, not health information.

If you do notice changes in your vision, that is worth checking with an eye doctor, because the cause will be something else entirely.

Myth 2: "It will make you infertile"

Cleveland Clinic lists both decreased sperm count and infertility as myths (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). The body continuously produces sperm, and ejaculating does not "use up" a fixed supply.

The research on abstinence and semen quality is actually more nuanced, and it does not support saving up either. A study of 9,489 semen samples from 6,008 men at an Israeli fertility clinic looked at how the number of days since last ejaculation related to semen quality (Levitas et al., 2005):

In samples with low sperm counts, average sperm motility (how well sperm swim) peaked at 30.3% after just one day of abstinence.
In samples with normal counts, motility and the share of normally shaped sperm were lower after 11 to 14 days of abstinence.
The authors suggested that men with normal semen analyses should not exceed 10 days of abstinence before giving a sample.

These data come from men being evaluated at a fertility clinic, so they may not apply to everyone. Still, they point in the opposite direction of the myth: regular ejaculation is not harmful to fertility, and very long abstinence does not make semen "stronger." If you and a partner are trying to conceive and are concerned, a urologist can order a semen analysis.

Myth 3: "It shrinks or bends your penis"

Shrinkage and curvature are also on Cleveland Clinic's list of myths (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). Penis size is determined by genetics and development, not by masturbation habits.

What is true is that rough handling can cause minor, temporary effects. Cleveland Clinic notes that masturbating a lot in a short span can cause the penis to swell slightly, and rough technique can cause chafing. These usually heal within a day or two. A curve that appears suddenly, a lump, or pain with erections is different: those can be signs of a condition a urologist should look at, and they should not be written off as a "masturbation side effect."

Myth 4: "It causes hair loss"

No research has shown that masturbation causes hair loss. The most common type, androgenetic alopecia (male or female pattern hair loss), is linked to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. In men, it is related to androgens, especially a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). MedlinePlus, the US National Library of Medicine's health resource, describes this mechanism and notes that more than half of men over 50 have some degree of hair loss (MedlinePlus Genetics).

The myth usually rests on the idea that masturbation dramatically raises testosterone, which then turns into DHT. Hormone research does not support this. In a small German study of 10 healthy men, testosterone levels did not change in response to orgasm from masturbation. Levels were somewhat higher after three weeks of abstinence, but the orgasm itself did not produce a testosterone spike (Exton et al., 2001). Short-term hormone shifts of this kind have not been shown to affect hair.

If you are losing hair and it bothers you, a dermatologist can confirm the type and discuss evidence-based treatments.

Myth 5: "It causes erectile dysfunction"

Cleveland Clinic lists erectile dysfunction and lowered libido among the myths (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). Masturbating does not damage the blood vessels or nerves that make erections possible.

A related worry is about pornography. A study of four large online samples of men aged 40 and under from Croatia, Norway, and Portugal found little evidence that pornography use was associated with erectile, desire, or orgasm difficulties (Landripet & Štulhofer, 2015). A review with clinical case reports has described individual men whose sexual difficulties improved after they stopped viewing internet pornography (Park et al., 2016), so the debate is not fully closed, but there is no solid evidence that masturbation itself causes ED.

There is one real, related issue. Cleveland Clinic notes that masturbating very often or very aggressively can reduce sensitivity (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). And clinicians who treat delayed ejaculation report that many men with that problem use an "idiosyncratic" masturbation style, one that a partner's touch cannot easily reproduce (Perelman, 2016). This is about technique, not masturbation as such, and it is usually fixable. We cover it in our article on "death grip" and delayed ejaculation.

What is actually worth paying attention to

Debunking myths does not mean nothing can go wrong. According to Cleveland Clinic, the issues worth knowing about are (Cleveland Clinic, 2022):

Minor skin irritation: chafing or tenderness from rough technique. Use lubricant and a lighter touch.
Reduced sensitivity: from very frequent or very intense stimulation. Varying stimulation can help.
Compulsive behavior: when masturbation leads you to miss work, cancel plans, or neglect responsibilities.
Guilt and shame: often rooted in religious, spiritual, or cultural beliefs. Cleveland Clinic states that scientifically, "there's nothing immoral or wrong about masturbation," and recommends a sexual health therapist or counselor if guilt is weighing on you.

Interestingly, research suggests that beliefs matter. In an online survey of 1,063 people, the motivation to abstain from masturbation was linked mainly to attitudes, especially the belief that masturbation is unhealthy, rather than to how often people actually masturbated (Zimmer & Imhoff, 2020). In other words, myths themselves can create distress.

This article is general education, not a diagnosis. See a doctor if you have pain, sores or irritation that does not heal within a few days, blood in your semen or urine, a new curve or lump in the penis, ongoing erection problems, or vision changes. If masturbation feels out of control, or guilt is affecting your mood or relationships, a mental health professional or certified sex therapist can help without judgment.

The bottom line

Blindness, infertility, shrinkage, hair loss, and erectile dysfunction are not caused by masturbation. These fears mostly descend from 18th-century writing that modern research has not supported. The real issues are smaller and practical: be gentle with your skin, vary your technique, and notice if the habit starts to crowd out the rest of your life. If a specific symptom worries you, a short conversation with a doctor will tell you far more than any myth.

Last reviewed: October 1, 2026