Pills have been sold online under the Semenax name since at least 2005, but newer entrants are responding to growing demand. “I think people are becoming more and more interested in taking ownership of their own health, but also looking to optimize and generally tweak their body in various ways and often supplements are part of that,” says Ben, cofounder of VB Health, which launched Load Boost in 2020. (Ben asked to use his first name only for this story to avoid being contacted outside of work.)
Supplements are not reviewed by the FDA, and Dr. Kashanian warns that their quality can vary. “While they are marketed heavily and come with enthusiastic testimonials, none of these supplements have been tested in robust clinical trials and none of these have shown any benefit in clinical trials,” he says.
Instead, Dr. Kashanian recommends lifestyle changes. “Scientifically and medically, there are a few validated methods for improving ejaculation volume and strength,” he says. Semen is mostly water, so staying hydrated is the most important factor. Abstaining from ejaculation for two or three days can also increase volume, but Dr. Kashanian warns that long periods of abstinence can reduce sperm motility or quality. Kegels help, too. While nutrition is important, Dr. Kashanian says, “over-supplementation does not seem to have a role.”
The mixed clinical data on specific supplements has not discouraged men from taking them. Dr. Kirk McAnsh, a chiropractor from Alpena, Michigan, recommends more than 24 ingredients to patients via his Patreon, Intimacy Nutrition Doc. “ I try to balance things based on ancient wisdom, Biblical wisdom from the Song of Solomon, Taoist tradition, and tantric tradition,” Dr. McAnsh says. “And then I look for common threads that weave between all those and scientific papers.”
Within the amateur bigger loads community, the lack of medical consensus on supplements is not a deterrent, but a reason to go deeper on their own. “If people waited around for science to prove everything, then we’d all be dead by the time they did,” Dr. McAnsh says. “So I think people are just stepping forward. Now that the internet’s there, they can do some research and think about it and not wait for 20 years until they get around to doing a study that may or may not be biased or paid off by a pharmaceutical company.”