How Many Times Men Should Masturbate Monthly to Lower Cancer Risk?

A new health campaign is urging men against fighting the urge to masturbate, insisting that “choking the chicken” could just save your life.

This month, the nonprofit cancer organization FCancer partnered with VML Health for a cheeky campaign built around masturbation. Why? Because according to a Health Professionals Follow-up Story, men who ejaculate 21 or more times a month may reduce their risk of prostate cancer by up to 22%.

With the name Beat Cancer Off, the goal of the campaign is to make the messaging less clinical and more fun, mainstream and, hopefully, viral. In addition to the website, the campaign also includes a song, video, smartphone app and social and brand partnerships.

The Innuendo-Filled Campaign

A video released as part of the campaign pulls together just about every single masturbation euphemism out there, animating phrases like “spanking the monkey,” “slapping the salami,” “mashing the potatoes” and “stroking the pipe” alongside a catchy jingle.

Telling men that getting off is “good for your health,” the video also reminds viewers to reach out to their doctors for screenings.

“Every euphemism in the song, every frame of the film, and every page of the microsite, is designed to do one thing: make prostate health something men can’t ignore and make it easier for them to speak up and seek help,” said Claire Gillis, CEO, VML Health in a press release. “Great health communication meets people where they really are. Humor can be a powerful tool when it’s grounded in scientific evidence.”

The Science Behind the Campaign

“At FCancer, we look for ways to translate credible science into behavior change,” said Yael Cohen, Co-Founder of FCancer, of the campaign.

“The data around ejaculation frequency and prostate cancer risk is compelling. It’s rare that science and behavior align this clearly, so yes, we’re encouraging men to take their health into their own hands,” Cohen continued. “Instead of burying that in a journal, we’re bringing it into culture. Because if men aren’t engaging with the message, the message isn’t working.”

The data comes from a study that followed 31,925 men for 18 years. Men who ejaculated 21 times or more a month ended up having a 19-22% lower risk of prostate cancer compared to those with 4-7 ejaculations a month.

A 2025 analysis of 29 studies involving more than 315,000 participants, per the press release, also seemingly backed up the correlation between higher ejaculation frequency and lower prostate cancer risk.

Why? More frequent ejaculations reportedly “flush out” potential carcinogens, reduce intraprostatic inflammation and crystal deposits linked to prostate cancer, support the immune system, and lower stress-related signals that can encourage prostate cell growth.

In a press release, Dr. Lorelei Mucci clarifies “that frequent ejaculation is not a guarantee against prostate cancer,” but said the evidence suggests it helps. The campaign still recommends men speak with their physicians for medical evaluations.

According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in the U.S., behind skin cancer. Rates are also higher for Black men.

Overall deaths from prostate cancer, however, have declined significantly in recent years, thanks to earlier detection and treatment advances.

Additional Partnerships

To help get the word out about the campaign, FCancer also sent special tissue boxes to influencers, with tissues numbered from 1-21.

Pair of Thieves, meanwhile, is releasing a 21 Sock Pack, with proceeds supporting cancer awareness and prevention.

There’s also a smart watch app to track your progress, as well as tongue-in-cheek reminders to, uh, get to work for anyone lagging.