No Sperm When I Ejaculate? Causes & What to Do
Nothing comes out when you ejaculate? An andrologist explains the real causes of no semen on ejaculation and the exact, treatable steps to fix it.
Lump on Testicle: Causes, Self-Exam & When to Worry
Most lumps on the testicle are harmless. A soft, movable, pea-sized lump that sits separate from the testicle is almost always a benign epididymal cyst. The one to act on is a hard, painless lump felt on the testicle itself. As a practising andrologist in Chennai, I meet this fear almost every day: a man finds a “lump in my balls” in the shower and is convinced, by the time he reaches me, that it is cancer. I understand the panic. So let me settle it plainly — in roughly 8 out of 10 of the men I examine for a scrotal lump, the cause is completely benign: an epididymal cyst, a varicocele, a hydrocele, or a harmless skin cyst. There is one lump I never brush aside, and I will show you exactly how to recognise it. Book a Consultation Most lumps on the testicle are harmless – this guide shows you how to tell which kind you have. Quick Facts Most testicular lumps are benign — spermatoceles, hydroceles, varicoceles and simple cysts are well-recognised non-cancerous causes of a scrotal lump (Rubenstein, 2004). Position is everything — a scrotal ultrasound reliably tells a lump on the testicle (worrying) from one beside it (almost always benign), and cystic fluid from a solid mass (Akin, 2004). The cancer lump is hard and painless — testicular cancer most often shows up as a painless mass on the testicle itself (Singla, 2025; Chong, 2023). Even cancer is highly curable — testicular cancer is the most common solid malignancy in men aged 15–40 (~10,000 US cases a year, mean age 33), and 90–95% are germ cell tumours with excellent survival (Singla, 2025). Sudden, severe pain is the real emergency — testicular torsion needs surgery within about six hours, when the salvage rate is around 90% (Langan, 2022). Where is the lump? Position decides the diagnosis If you remember one thing from this page, make it this: position, position, position. Where the lump sits on your scrotum tells me, before any scan, what it most likely is. I run through three questions with every man who sits across from me. Is it on the skin, beside the testicle, or on the testicle itself? Pinch the lump gently. If it is in the skin of the scrotum — like a small pellet you can roll under your fingertips — it is usually a harmless sebaceous cyst. If it is a soft, distinct pea sitting above or behind the testicle but clearly separate from it, that is the classic epididymal cyst or spermatocele. The lump that earns a same-week scan is the one that feels part of the testicle itself — a firm nodule you cannot separate from the underlying egg-shaped organ. This is exactly why imaging matters. A scrotal Doppler ultrasound differentiates a testicular mass from an extratesticular one, and tells whether it is cystic, solid or complex — the single test that converts “I don’t know what this is” into a clear answer (Akin, 2004). How many lumps, and one side or both? A soft, worm-like fullness on the left side that you feel more when standing is almost always a varicocele. Generalised swelling of one whole side that lets light shine through points to a hydrocele. A single, hard, fixed nodule on one testicle is the pattern I take seriously. If you also notice a general fullness or heaviness rather than a discrete lump, read my guide on what swelling in the testicles actually indicates. The harmless lumps on the testicle (and most lumps are harmless) Let me reassure you with the actual list. The overwhelming majority of intrascrotal lumps are benign — spermatoceles, hydroceles, varicoceles, epidermoid and simple cysts (Rubenstein, 2004). Here is how each one feels in my hands. Epididymal cyst and spermatocele — the movable pea-sized lump This is the lump I diagnose most. The epididymis is the soft, coiled tube that sits behind and above each testicle, storing and carrying sperm. A small fluid-filled sac there is an epididymal cyst; when it contains sperm it is called a spermatocele. Both feel like a smooth, movable pea, sit separate from the testicle, and are painless. Hydroceles and spermatoceles are common benign adult scrotal swellings (Rioja, 2011). Epididymal cysts most often turn up in men aged 20 to 40 and tend to sit there quietly without causing harm; small, symptomless ones are simply watched, and removal is reserved for cysts large enough to bother you (Zhao, 2023). If it is not growing or hurting, I usually leave it alone. An epididymal cyst – a soft, movable, pea-sized lump that sits separate from the testicle and is harmless. Varicocele — the “bag of worms” A varicocele is a tangle of enlarged veins above the testicle, classically described as feeling like a “bag of worms,” more obvious on the left and when you stand. It is genuinely common — found in roughly 12% of men with normal semen, and far more often (around 40%) in men investigated for infertility (Chiba, 2016). A clinic-based study of men over the age of 40 reported a much higher 48% — but that is a selection-biased figure from men already attending a urology clinic for assessment, not the prevalence in the general male population, so I would not read it as “half of all men” (Besiroglu, 2019). Most cause no trouble at all. The reason I check for them is fertility: varicoceles are the commonest correctable cause of low sperm production, so if you are also trying to conceive, see my explainer on whether varicoceles cause infertility and consider a semen analysis. A varicocele – a soft tangle of enlarged veins above the testicle that feels like a ‘bag of worms’. Hydrocele — a soft fluid swelling A hydrocele is a painless collection of fluid around the testicle. It feels soft and smooth, can grow to a surprising size, and characteristically lets light pass through when a torch is held against it (transillumination). It is benign and
Can i use saliva as lube? 2 Facts on using saliva as lube
Men’s Health Blogs Can i use saliva as lube? 2 Facts on using saliva as lube Welcome to Dr Shahs Clinic, in this quick video we are going to answer the question ‘Can i use saliva as lube?’. We will explore the magic of combining sex with saliva (we will see how magical it is!). Jokes apart let move on to the more serious stuff. Doc, can i use saliva as lube?, this is probably the single most common question I get. Its not surprising. An estimated 40% of couples use lubricants (saliva, KY jelly) or otherwise some ridiculous flower scented concoctions. Don’t get me wrong though. Using lubes definitely adds to pleasure for most couples. I mean people use saliva while masturbating, partnered sex, mutual masturbation and what not? Lubes of various varieties are also put into the mix. Moreover, saliva as lube is utilized in men with erectile dysfunction and in women with vaginal dryness However, there are some instances where you probably do not want to use saliva as lube. The best instance being ‘when trying for a child’. Saliva can basically give your sperms a knock-out punch. Studies done as early as the 1980’s have shown that saliva reduces sperm motility by 50% within just 5 mins of exposure. Not just that, by 15 mins of coming in contact with saliva, the sperm motility basically drops to zero. This is because saliva contains numerous substances that can technically ‘kamikaze’ your sperm. So, unless you are planning to use saliva as contraception method (not the best of course) you are probably better off not using saliva a lube when trying to conceive. Moreover, their are few more studies with some interesting observations. Dr. Shah Dupesh Consultant Andrologist & Sexologist Ready to improve your Reproductive Health? Discuss your concerns in a private setting and get personalized guidance tailored to your needs. Book a Call Book a Call Can saliva kill sperm? Oh yeah. Saliva is a sperm terminator In a few other studies, under the light microscope, scientist’s tried placing drops of sperm and drops of saliva beside one another. What did they find? Here again, sperm motility fell withing 5 mins of exposure and in about 15 mins the total sperm motility dropped to ‘0’. Interestingly, the sperms exhibited a kind of ‘shaking movement’ when exposed to saliva (sperms can get scared as well, have some mercy) Moreover, from the context of sexual hygiene, things get a bit more serious. Say….you are single and in a ‘not so committed’ relationship (in other words you do not know if you are going to marry the person), in these specific scenarios, you better watch out for STD’s And boy oh boy, saliva does transmit STI (sexually transmitted infections). In fact saliva can transmit a variety of sexually transmitted infections. Some common infections that can spread to your partner via saliva include 1. Herpes Simplex Virus leading to genital warts 2. Gonorrhea (by kissing and oro-genital sex) 3. Chlamydia (again by oral-penile sex) Subscribe to our Newsletter A beautiful study conducted in Australia called the HIM study has shown clearly that both Gonorrhea and Chlamydia can transmit through saliva. On an average, upon stimulation, via kissing and during oro-genital sex, saliva production in a man can reach 4-5 ml per minute (similar to that of eating food or chewing) thus aiding transmission of std’s. So should you use saliva as lube during sex? Well be careful and be damn cautious. The last thing you want is to end up with a damn STD. Trust me, it takes you out. Most importantly, I am sure you do not want your partner to end up with genital ulcers or lesions post sex. is a bit unfair right? So, exercise caution and avoid using saliva as lube. Should you definitely need to use a lube, use K-Y jelly or coconut oil as lube (more so when fertility is not a goal). I hope you found this blog post on ‘can i use saliva as lube’ informative. Please do ask your questions below. This is Dr Shah, Consultant Andrologist and Sexologist. I will see you soon with another interesting post References Chow EP, Fairley CK. The role of saliva in gonorrhoea and chlamydia transmission to extragenital sites among men who have sex with men: new insights into transmission. Journal of the International AIDS Society. 2019 Aug;22:e25354. Templeton DJ, Jin F, McNally LP, Imrie JC, Prestage GP, Donovan B, Cunningham PH, Kaldor JM, Kippax S, Grulich AE. Prevalence, incidence and risk factors for pharyngeal gonorrhoea in a community-based HIV-negative cohort of homosexual men in Sydney, Australia. Sexually transmitted infections. 2010 Apr 1;86(2):90-6. Tulandi T, Plouffe Jr L, McInnes RA. Effect of saliva on sperm motility and activity. Fertility and sterility. 1982 Dec 1;38(6):721-3. Related Blogs Recent Blogs Having more doubts? Consult with our doctor Consult with Dr. Shah Leave Your Comment Cancel Reply Logged in as Dr Shah Dupesh. Log out? Δ
Can Masturbation Cause Delayed Ejaculation?
Yes – an intense or prone masturbation style can condition delayed ejaculation. A Chennai andrologist explains why, the medical causes to rule out, and how to fix it.
Does Masturbation Cause Premature Ejaculation?
Does masturbation cause premature ejaculation? Not the act — but rushed, finish-fast habits condition a fast reflex you can retrain. An andrologist explains.
Does Masturbation Cause Erection Problems?
A Chennai andrologist explains how porn-driven and compulsive masturbation cause psychogenic erectile dysfunction with a partner, why the ‘weakness’ is Dhat syndrome, and how it is treated.
Does Masturbation Cause Infertility?
A Chennai andrologist on whether masturbation causes infertility — the truth about sperm count, abstinence timing, what really lowers sperm count, and how to conceive.
How Long Does Sex Last? The Real Average, Explained by an Andrologist
How long does sex last? Here’s the honest answer, straight away: when researchers actually timed it with a stopwatch, the average lasted a median of about 5.4 minutes from penetration to ejaculation — what doctors call the intravaginal ejaculation latency time, or IELT (Waldinger, 2005). Not 30 minutes. Not an hour. About five and a half minutes — and that is completely normal. As a practising andrologist in Chennai, I am asked this almost every day, usually by a worried young man who is convinced that “real” sex should last half an hour and that he is failing some test. So let me set the record straight with the actual evidence, because the truth is far more reassuring than the myth — and once you see the real numbers, most of the worry simply disappears. Talk to Dr Shah Quick Facts The average is about 5.4 minutes. In a stopwatch study across five countries, the median time from penetration to ejaculation was 5.4 minutes (Waldinger, 2005). The “normal” range is huge. Real measured times ran from under one minute to over forty — there is no single correct number (Waldinger, 2009). “Desirable” is around 7–13 minutes. When sex therapists were asked, they rated 3–7 minutes “adequate” and 7–13 minutes “desirable” (Corty & Guardiani, 2008). Most men who feel “too quick” are actually normal. Men who believe they have premature ejaculation often have the same IELT distribution as everyone else (Janssen & Waldinger, 2019). Genuine premature ejaculation is a real, treatable threshold — roughly within one minute, with distress and loss of control (Serefoglu, 2014) — not just “a bit faster than the films.” So how long does sex actually last? Let me give you the single best piece of evidence we have, because almost no one quotes it properly. A landmark study put a stopwatch in the hands of 491 couples across five countries — the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, Turkey and the United States — and asked them to time intercourse, from penetration to ejaculation, over four weeks. The median came out at 5.4 minutes (Waldinger, 2005). That figure — the intravaginal ejaculation latency time, IELT — is the closest thing we have to a real answer to “how long does sex last.” Why the average sex time is only half the story But the average is only half the story, and the more important half is the spread. The measured times ranged from about half a minute at one end to forty-four minutes at the other, and the distribution was heavily skewed — most men clustered in the few-minute range, with a long tail of much longer times (Waldinger, 2005; Waldinger, 2009). In plain terms: there is no “correct” duration. A man finishing in three minutes and a man going twelve are both squarely within the normal range. Here is the part I most want you to hear, because it lifts a real weight off so many of my patients: men who are convinced they are too quick very often have exactly the same latency-time distribution as men who have no complaint at all (Janssen & Waldinger, 2019). The problem, in a large share of cases, is not the clock — it is the comparison to pornography, to exaggerated talk, and to a number that was never realistic in the first place. There is no single correct duration — the normal range runs from too short to too long, with the average sitting around five minutes. How long does sex last? The real durations at a glance Duration (penetration to ejaculation) What it means Under ~1 minute (with distress & no control) Likely premature ejaculation — treatable About 3–7 minutes “Adequate” — well within normal About 5.4 minutes (the median) The statistical average About 7–13 minutes Rated “desirable” by therapists Routinely 20–30+ minutes, unable to finish May be delayed ejaculation — worth checking How long should sex last? The desirable range “Average” and “should” are different questions, and the second one matters more to most couples. So when researchers asked sex therapists what a good duration actually is, the answers were clear and very human: intercourse of 1–2 minutes was judged “too short,” 3–7 minutes “adequate,” 7–13 minutes “desirable,” and anything past about 10–30 minutes “too long” (Corty & Guardiani, 2008). Notice where 5–6 minutes sits — comfortably inside “adequate,” brushing “desirable.” The number you were probably told to aim for, half an hour, is in the bracket the experts call too long. So let me answer the question I get in Hinglish almost daily — sex ka normal time kitna hota hai? Around five to ten minutes of penetration is a perfectly normal, healthy, satisfying duration. If you are landing anywhere in that band, you do not have a problem to fix. You have a number to stop worrying about. Worried you finish too soon? Talk to Dr Shah today. Book a Call What about foreplay and the whole encounter? Here is where the stopwatch studies can mislead, because they time only penetration. Real intimacy is not a sprint that begins at penetration and ends at ejaculation. A satisfying encounter usually runs much longer than the IELT suggests, because the part that most partners value most happens before and around penetration. In my clinic I tell couples to think in terms of the whole encounter: roughly 7–10 minutes of unhurried foreplay — kissing, touching, oral stimulation, simply being close — followed by 5 or so minutes of penetration, giving a total of around 12–15 minutes that feels generous and complete to both partners. That is not a rule with a stopwatch; it is a reminder that fixating on penetration time alone misses the point. Cross-cultural surveys of what men and women consider a normal, satisfying duration land in much the same place (Amidu & Owiredu, 2015). The clock measures one ingredient; intimacy is the whole meal. When “too quick” is actually premature ejaculation Now, I never wave away a real problem, so let me draw the
How Many Times Can You Masturbate in a Day? An Andrologist’s Honest Answer
Here’s the honest answer, straight away: there is no medically “correct” answer to how many times masturbation can be done in a day — and the once-occasional release will not damage your body, drain your testosterone or ruin your fertility. But as a practising andrologist, I do not recommend masturbation as a habit at all. The harm is not in the act; it is in the compulsion — the daily, guilt-laden, porn-driven loop that quietly wrecks real sex. I have sat with close to 9,000 men carrying this exact worry in my Chennai clinic, and almost none of them feel good about the habit. So let me give you the truth that neither the breezy “do it as much as you like” articles nor the fear-mongering “it drains your vitality” blogs will tell you — the honest, evidence-based, clinical answer. Talk to Dr Shah Quick Facts There is no medical daily limit. Your body sets no fixed quota; the right number depends entirely on whether the habit is harming your life, your mood or your partnered sex — not on a magic figure. It does not lower your testosterone. Ejaculation causes no lasting drop in testosterone — levels are essentially unchanged by how often you climax (Exton, 2001; Jiang, 2002). It does not destroy your fertility. Your body remakes sperm continuously; frequent ejaculation does not “use them up,” and in some men more frequent release actually improves sperm quality (Raditya, 2025; Xi, 2025; Clay, 2026). Frequent ejaculation is, if anything, protective for the prostate. Large cohort and meta-analytic data link a higher ejaculation frequency to a lower risk of prostate cancer, not a higher one (Rider, 2016; Jian, 2018). The real danger is compulsion, not frequency. When masturbation becomes a daily, porn-driven compulsion, it is linked to erectile difficulty, low partnered satisfaction and real distress (Park, 2016; Zacharopoulos, 2026). So how many times can masturbation be done in a day? Let me answer the exact question first, because it is the one you came here for. There is no fixed daily, weekly or monthly limit that your body imposes. No number — not five times a day, not once a week, not once a month — is a medical threshold that flips you from “safe” to “damaged.” Anyone who quotes you a precise figure is inventing it. How to tell if it’s a problem — judge the cost, not the count So how do you judge it? Not by counting, but by asking one question: is it costing you anything? If you are doing it once in a while, alone, with no guilt and no effect on your work, sleep, mood or sex life, it is not harming your body. If it has become something you do several times a day, reach for out of boredom or stress, feel guilty about, and which is starting to flatten your interest in real intimacy — then the number is beside the point. The habit itself is the problem. Here is the at-a-glance answer for the way most men ask it: Is there a daily masturbation limit? The honest answer in six points The honest answer What I mean by it No fixed number Your body sets no daily, weekly or monthly quota — no count flips you from “safe” to “damaged” Occasional is fine An occasional, private release now and then is not physically harmful, and no medical reason to fear it Depends on the person The right amount depends on your own life, mood and partnered sex — not on a magic figure Daily can dull sex Daily, porn-driven use conditions the brain and can flatten real intimacy, bringing on ED or PE Loss of control The warning sign is reaching for it several times a day and being unable to cut down Habit is the limit When it runs your day or replaces partnered sex, that habit — not a number — is the real limit My own position, as the doctor you are asking, is plain: I am not in the camp that cheerfully tells young men to masturbate as often as they please. I do not recommend it as a habit. But I refuse equally to lie to you that an occasional release is poisoning your blood or stealing your strength. Both of those messages do harm. The truth sits in between, and you deserve the truth. There is no fixed number — the line is compulsion, not a count. Is daily masturbation harmful? What the evidence actually says This is where the Indian health blogs do real damage, so let me be blunt and back every word with evidence. The classic fears about masturbation are myths, and carrying them only feeds the very anxiety that hurts you. The three big myths: testosterone, fertility and prostate It does not lower your testosterone. Careful endocrine studies show that ejaculation produces no meaningful or lasting fall in testosterone; your hormones are not being “spent” (Exton, 2001; Jiang, 2002). It does not destroy your fertility or “finish” your sperm — the testes manufacture sperm around the clock, and the research on ejaculation frequency shows that more frequent release does not wreck semen quality and can even improve it in men with poor parameters (Raditya, 2025; Xi, 2025; Clay, 2026). And far from harming the prostate, a higher lifetime ejaculation frequency is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer in the largest studies we have (Rider, 2016; Jian, 2018). Where the semen-loss fear really comes from So when you read that “masturbating 5 times a day will cause weakness, hair loss and infertility,” understand that this is folk fear dressed up as medicine — I debunk each of these one by one in my guide to masturbation side effects. It is the same false belief that drives Dhat syndrome — the conviction that losing semen drains your vital essence (Prakash, 2014; Kar, 2021). It does not — and it is the same misplaced fear that makes men panic over completely
Prone Masturbation: What It Is, Why It Harms & How to Stop
Prone masturbation can quietly cause delayed ejaculation and trouble with intercourse. An andrologist explains what it is, why it harms, and how to stop.