What happens when you hold back? A reflexive thematic analysis of a semen retention Reddit forum

Dhāt syndrome, a culture-bound syndrome characterised by distress over semen loss, has been documented in South Asian contexts; our findings suggest that aspects of these semen-loss anxieties are now echoed in Western communities online. Semen retention, promoted on social media platforms such as Reddit, is framed by users as enhancing vitality, masculinity, and spiritual development while resisting societal decline. This study examined how semen retention is constructed within the r/Semenretention subreddit. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we analysed a purposive sample of 200 items, representing highly visible contributions to the community. Analysis identified five themes spanning masculinity and self-mastery; power and empowerment; cultural and societal perceptions; interpersonal relationships and gender dynamics; and spiritual and transcendental dimensions. Across these, semen retention was constructed as both a personal practice of self-mastery and a collective ideology of countercultural resistance. Users also described semen retention as curing various psychopathologies, though such claims lack empirical support and may reflect skewed perceptions of mental and sexual well-being. Overall, the findings echo features of Dhāt and Dhāt-like cultural concepts of distress, suggesting that semen-loss anxieties manifest in this Western digital context as one cultural response through which some men navigate shifting gender norms and uncertainties surrounding masculinity.