No, bottoming does not lower testosterone. There is no scientific evidence that being the receptive partner in anal sex causes any decrease in testosterone levels, either short-term or long-term. This idea circulates widely online but has no basis in endocrinology or any published research.
What the science actually shows is closer to the opposite: sexual activity of all kinds tends to raise testosterone temporarily. The concern likely stems from cultural associations between receptivity and femininity, not from anything happening hormonally in the body.
What Sexual Activity Actually Does to Testosterone
Sexual activity causes a short-term spike in testosterone, regardless of what kind of sex you’re having. A study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior measured salivary testosterone in men at a sex club and found that participants who engaged in sexual activity saw a 72% increase in testosterone from their baseline, while men who only watched experienced an 11% increase. Even just being in a sexually charged environment raised levels.
This pattern holds across research on the topic. Exposure to a potential sexual partner triggers a rapid, temporary testosterone increase in males. This is a well-documented response driven by the brain’s hormonal feedback system, and it happens whether someone is aroused, touching, or being touched. The body doesn’t distinguish between “top” and “bottom” when releasing testosterone in response to sexual excitement.
At the moment of ejaculation specifically, testosterone peaks. One study published in The Journal of Urology measured serum testosterone before erection, at ejaculation, and 10 minutes after. Levels rose significantly from a baseline of about 5.9 ng/mL to 7.0 ng/mL at ejaculation, then returned to baseline within 10 minutes. This cycle is the same regardless of how the orgasm was reached.
The Prolactin and Refractory Period Question
After orgasm, prolactin rises while dopamine and oxytocin drop. Prolactin is the hormone primarily responsible for the refractory period, that temporary loss of arousal after climax. Some people wonder whether this prolactin spike suppresses testosterone, and the answer is: not in any meaningful way. The post-orgasm hormonal shift is brief and returns to normal quickly.
A randomized controlled study in Basic and Clinical Andrology found that masturbation actually counteracted the natural daily decline in free testosterone. Testosterone normally drops throughout the day as part of its circadian rhythm, and sexual stimulation slowed that decline. In other words, sexual activity, including solo activity, supported rather than suppressed testosterone levels.
Where the Semen Retention Myth Fits In
Part of the “bottoming lowers testosterone” idea may be tangled up with semen retention culture, which claims that ejaculating frequently depletes testosterone. The study most often cited in these communities looked at 28 men during abstinence and found that testosterone peaked at about 146% of baseline on the seventh day without ejaculation. After that peak, levels didn’t continue rising. They showed no regular pattern of further increase with continued abstinence.
So while there is a brief hormonal fluctuation tied to ejaculation timing, it’s a temporary oscillation, not a depletion. Your body continuously produces testosterone. Ejaculating doesn’t drain a limited supply, and abstaining doesn’t build one up in any lasting way. This applies equally to tops, bottoms, and everyone else.
Why the Myth Persists
The idea that bottoming lowers testosterone maps cultural assumptions about dominance and submission onto hormone biology, where they don’t belong. Testosterone is often framed as a “dominance hormone,” which leads to the intuitive but incorrect leap that being receptive must mean having less of it. In reality, testosterone’s role in sexual behavior is about arousal and motivation broadly, not about which physical position you’re in.
Research in endocrinology consistently shows that testosterone responds to social and sexual engagement itself. Anticipation, excitement, novelty, and physical contact all raise testosterone. The specific mechanics of what you’re doing with your body during sex don’t register as a different hormonal signal. Your pituitary gland and testes have no way of knowing or responding to whether you’re the insertive or receptive partner.
What Can Actually Affect Testosterone
If you’re concerned about your testosterone levels, the factors that genuinely matter are well established: sleep quality, body fat percentage, chronic stress, alcohol use, age, and underlying medical conditions like thyroid disorders or pituitary problems. Poor sleep alone can reduce testosterone by 10 to 15% in young men within a single week.
Regular physical activity, particularly resistance training, supports healthy testosterone production. Chronic caloric restriction and very high endurance exercise can suppress it. These are the levers that actually move the needle on your hormone levels, and none of them have anything to do with your preferred sexual position.