What's deal with Blue Balls? My boyfriend would have me believe the pain is akin to childbirth ... is that true? I don't feel all that great when I get turned on and don't reach orgasm either ... do women experience something similar? -- As Blue as You on 14th Street
"Blue balls," more medically known as "acute testicular congestion," refers to an aching sensation experienced around the testicles when men are aroused for a prolonged period without subsequently achieving orgasm. While also suggestive of an overall mental state, the "blue" here refers to the color of the scrotum, which take on a dusky color as trapped blood loses oxygen.
The physiology of blue balls is fairly straightforward and applies to both men and women: in a state of arousal, arteries supplying the genitals dilate and the draining veins constrict, resulting in a net increase in blood to the region, or vasocongestion.
In both sexes, this process is also known as "pelvic flooding." In men, this excess volume results in the erection and testicles filling with blood.
In women, increased blood causes clitoral engorgement and primes the uterus for the contractions of orgasm. With orgasm, the circulatory system rapidly restores its normal state, causing the sudden, intensely pleasurable sensation of relieved tension as blood rushes out of the pelvis and redistributes around the body (sort of the blood vessels' way of saying "fun's over, back to work guys!").
If no orgasm occurs, this accumulated blood drains out of the pelvic region much more slowly, causing varying degrees of discomfort for up to several hours. In men, this feeling tends to be localized around the heavily-innervated testicular region and can range from a dull ache to an acute pain all too resonant of the poorly-aimed kickball that brought him to his knees in the seventh grade. Women can also experience a sense of uncomfortable, diffuse heaviness in the pelvis, described by some as "like carrying a brick between their legs."
Although it is important to be aware that acute testicular congestion and its analog in women ("brick crotch," perhaps?) are very real and potentially rather unpleasant feelings, they are never valid reasons to escalate sexual activity beyond where you're comfortable. The minor aching associated with pelvic flooding is completely transient, and although your boyfriend may suggest otherwise, no man or woman has ever had anything essential explode, break off or otherwise become permanently injured as a result of pelvic flooding.
Anne Mills is a Cavalier Daily Health & Sexuality Columnist. She can be reached at mills@cavalierdaily.com or through the Sex & Balances submission page at cavalierdaily.com/sex.asp. This column is used for educational purposes only and is not meant to substitute advice from your doctor.
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