Perhaps it’s best to preface this by saying that ‘blue balls’ are really and truly a myth and that if you’re a woman who’s ever been made to feel bad about it or if you’re a man who’s thought he was about to die, let us reassure you – it’s nonsense!
Blue balls – or the feeling of discomfort in a man’s testicles if he’s aroused but doesn’t achieve orgasm – is something that feels like it was probably invented by men trying to get what they want lol.
But actually the science behind what blue balls are – because they are a thing, just not what people say they are – is closer to the science behind a sneeze! And not only that, but women experience it too! In fact, the science behind it is a lot simpler – what is often described as ‘pain’ by men is actually ‘pressure’. What happens for both men and women is that arousal causes blood to flow to the genital area, and in the case of men, this can be experienced as an acute form of pressure in the testicles.
Bizarrely however the common knowledge around so-called blue balls is that it is actually a source of real pain that can be inflicted on a man. In fact, a recent Cosmopolitan survey revealed that 74% of women reported being with a man that claimed to be in pain over blue balls.
I guess now that we know that both women and men get it, no one gets to be the crybaby anymore!
