What Is a Dry Orgasm? Here's What to Know About Orgasming Without Ejaculation

TANNER, A 43-year-old software engineer in Texas, started taking Rapaflo, a medication for enlarged prostate, 10 years ago, when he noticed something unexpected: He stopped ejaculating. He would still orgasm, but no semen would come out. This is known as a dry orgasm.

"If you are having a dry orgasm, you will feel the physical sensations of orgasmic pleasure, but no semen will be released," explains clinical sexologist Sarah Melancon.

In Tanner's case, the dry orgasm was caused by retrograde ejaculation, a process where the semen goes back into the bladder. Retrograde ejaculation is not usually harmful in and of itself, but can point toward a chronic illness along with being a medication side effect, says Dr. Lee Phillips, a psychotherapist and certified sex and couples therapist.

However, there are multiple reasons someone might experience dry orgasms.

What are the causes of dry orgasms?

In addition to being caused by retrograde ejaculation, a dry orgasm can happen because the body has not made enough semen, possibly due to the person ejaculating very recently prior to the dry orgasm, Melancon says.

Sometimes, dry orgasms point toward neurolgical or vascular issues due to health conditions like diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or spinal cord injury, Phillips says. They can also result from medications used to treat blood pressure, mood disorders, or enlarged prostate, as with Tanner. "Radiotherapy to treat prostate cancer, surgery to treat testicular cancer, blocked sperm duct, and testosterone deficiency can be causes as well," Phillips adds.

What do dry orgasms feel like?

The sensation of a dry orgasm varies from person to person and orgasm to orgasm, but it's generally still highly pleasurable, Melancon says. For Tanner, dry orgasms felt "exactly the same" as ejaculatory orgasms.

Will, a 35-year-old teacher in Austin, describes dry orgasms as "70-85 percent as intense" as ejaculatory orgasms. "They are more likely to happen when I've ejaculated already, for obvious reasons, and also happen when I'm distracted." He also experiences less of a refractory period after having a dry orgasm-that is, he can get hard again more quickly.

Some people make dry orgasms an intentional practice

Because dry orgasms can reduce the refractory period and even allow someone to stay erect immediately after orgasming, some people intentionally teach themselves how to have them so that they can have sex for longer. In tantra, orgasming without ejaculation is thought to help preserve the penis-owner's energy.

"While there is currently no scientific evidence that ejaculation depletes energy, and it is indeed healthy to have regular ejaculation, some men find they experience greater pleasure or can have multiple orgasms," Melancon says. Still, research suggests that periodic ejaculation helps to prevent prostate cancer, so it's a good idea to ejaculate at least some of the time.

When should you seek treatment for dry orgasms?

Occasional dry orgasms often don't indicate a serious issue. "If a dry orgasm occurs after a recent orgasm with ejaculation, all you need to do is wait it out," says Melancon. "Your body will naturally replenish your semen with time."

In other words, dry orgasms are fairly normal after "sex or masturbation marathons," says Christine Kingsley, an advanced practice registered nurse at the Lung Institute. "The body may simply have temporarily run out of seminal fluid after multiple simultaneous climaxes have already been reached."

Still, it's a good idea to talk to a doctor if you experience dry orgasms, especially if it's happening regularly or is accompanied by pain or discomfort-or if you are trying to conceive, Melancon says.

According to Phillips, the doctor can analyze your urine after you masturbate to help figure out what is causing the dry orgasms.

How do I cope with the mental effects of dry orgasms?

For some people, dry orgasms can bring up feelings of inadequacy. Sexologist Marla Renee Stewart, MA, sexpert for Lovers sexual wellness brand and retailer, had a client who experienced retrograde ejaculation and saw his dry orgasms as "a deficiency" due to the focus on ejaculation in porn. Dry orgasms may also prevent conception through intercourse and necessitate the use of IVF, which may cause additional difficult emotions.

For Stewart's client, the key to working through feelings of deficiency was realizing that "having an ejaculation wasn't an indicator of his masculinity," she recalls. Taking the focus off your genitals and focusing on full-body pleasure during sex can also be helpful for reducing negative feelings around not ejaculating.

"There are many ways of expressing love and fondness without having to have sexual intercourse, and these include cuddling, kissing, massage, and simple compliments," says Phillips, who also suggests trying "different kinds of oral touch such as kissing, sucking, and nipping and incorporating lotions, oils, powders, feathers, silk, sexual tools such as vibrators." These activities "place the emphasis on intimacy and pleasure over the goal of performance and orgasm."