Here are the five things that happen when you quit masturbating for good after one reality TV star revealed she'd quit the sexual act for a period of ten years.
We're often told about the benefits of masturbating, including how it reduces your chances of prostate cancer developing.
That's not a problem for former Bachelor star Madison Prewett, who has opened up on why she stopped masturbating.
Ultimately, it was the support of a faith-centered community - and her own spiritual beliefs - that helped her overcome what she saw as an addiction to porn and adult content.
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"This has been a struggle," she said on her Stay True podcast in 2025. "This has been a huge part of my testimony, something I’ve struggled with since middle school.
"And thankfully, by the grace of God, and by the power of the Godly community and people around me, I have been free from porn and masturbation for...I don’t even know, 10 years?"
So, what would happen if you stopped masturbating for good?
Well, here are five things you'd likely notice...
Our bodies
The first place you might notice the effects of abstinence is in your body - and not necessarily in a good way.
Writing for the Women's Health Network, Dr Sharon Stills notes that during orgasm, a woman's 'uterus “lifts” off the pelvic floor, increasing pelvic muscle tension and strengthening the entire region'.
A 2015 study found that women who reported higher rates of sexual activity tended to have stronger pelvic floors.
There are, however, other exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor. Sure, that might not be as exciting as an orgasm, but still good for the body...
As for men, the body could fight back in the form of wet dreams. Men who go without ejaculation for a long time are more likely to experience them.
Our brains
You're likely to notice a difference in your mind too, which, again, could go either way. And that's because masturbating - and finishing - gives us a dopamine hit. But giving it a break can help give us a temporary boost.
One 2022 study from Innsbruck University, Austria found that men who abstained from masturbating and pornography for three weeks experienced reduced fatigue and shyness and increases in activity and self-control.
It's not all good news though, as a writer for InStyle who stopped masturbating said she 'developed a low-grade headache, felt an increase in my stress levels, and was so irritable that after a week of snapping at my co-workers, one of them finally yelled, "WHY are you in such a BAD mood?"'.
Dating and relationships
The anonymous InStyle writer said that while skipping self-pleasure made her cranky, it did lead to better sex with her partner.
She said: "Because I was hornier, I was genuinely excited from the get-go during partner sex, instead of taking my usual 20 minutes to warm up and decide this was more fun than watching Project Runway after all."
But on the flipside, sex therapist Melinda DeSeta writes for Psychology Today: "Masturbation can help embrace body positivity. The more a person has a healthy experience exploring their erotic zones, and learning their pleasure principles, the healthier and sexier they will feel and appear to a partner."
In short, skipping masturbation might heighten the thrill for some, but sticking with it can actually improve your sexual confidence and experience with a partner.
Focus or frustration?
Some advocates say that giving up masturbation sharpens focus, boosts motivation and strengthens willpower.
A male Vice journalist said that going without masturbation for 21 days 'turned my life around; I got work done, I kept my house clean, I finished off personal projects that procrastination had always forbid me from finishing'.
However, there is no research supporting the idea that abstaining for masturbation comes with the benefits many people claim it does, such as increased concentration and better sleep, Healthline explains.
The bottom line is that self-control is a skill you can build without completely foregoing pleasure.
Our view on sex
Abstaining from masturbation can shift how we relate to sex and intimacy.
Some people report feeling more in control of their desires, while others experience a sense of disconnection, as if part of their identity is muted.
But not all health professionals agree. Professor Jim Pfaus told Vice: "[Masturbation] is a great stress reducer—there’s evidence that having sex or masturbating can reduce our resting heart rate for up to 12 hours. Plus, it does our sex lives the world of good to learn our sexual rhythms.
"We connect [through masturbation] to the types of action that we see in erotic or pornographic visual stimuli. This feeds our sexual fantasies, which is an enrichment of our creative process.”
Topics: Health, Sex and Relationships, Life
Callum Jones