What Is Blue Balls? 20 Men Reveal If It's Legit — And What It Really Feels Like
"It's unlike any other pain there is."
getty If you've ever been with a guy — or around a guy — you've probably heard the term "blue balls." I mean, it is a common condition, and a common complaint. But what is blue balls?
This condition, also known as epididymal hypertension, is a “testicular aching that occurs when the blood in the male’s genitals is retained after prolonged sexual arousal and is not dissipated by an orgasm.” In layman's terms, it is a pain in and/or around the crotch.
But what does that pain feel like? We asked 20 men, and here's what they had to say.
1. "To me it is the swelling of my [testicles]. It’s uncomfortable. Sometime slightly tender, but never painful."
2. "It feels like someone put your bean bag in a vice, and continues to turn the crank, ever so slightly."
3. "It's incredibly unpleasant. Personally, it feels like someone is stepping on my [testicles] with just enough pressure to cause continuous pain. The weirdest result is how it can oddly make me feel like I have to poop. I guess I'm in so much pain it's confusing my bodily functions."
4. "It feels like a deep nauseating pain in your groin that drifts up to your gut. It hurts to sit down or cross your legs."
5. "There are two versions of blue balls: the first is more psychological, where you have mentally worked up what is going to happen in your head and you are let down and disappointed. The physical pain can be described as taking your hand and slamming it into a car door, and then head butting the car because it is there and channeling all of the pain receptors to your lower stomach and ball area."
6. "When I was younger and there was heavy petting going on that led to nowhere, it was painful. It literally felt like your penis would explode if the pressure wasn’t relieved. But now as an older man, it’s more of a frustration than a physical condition."
7. "My [testicles] feel sore and tight. After a while, the soreness becomes a body-wide ache. When it finally stops hurting, it feels like a giant release."
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8. "It feels like a damn metal rod has been stuck through your erection. A huge one. When flaccid, it feels like your [testicles] are in a vice and trying to escape through the same route the giant rod in your penis is blocking. And yeah, that rod stays there."
9. "It’s like a headache for your testicles."
10. "It’s a constant pressure, like a 300 pound weight is sitting on your crotch."
11. "It feels like there is a vice on my boingloings. My entire groin area feels swollen and causes pain to travel to my lower back. When it's bad, even masturbation or having sex doesn't ease the problem."
12. "It’s similar to getting kicked in your privates, only the pain lasts longer."
13. "Think of the pain and discomfort of stomach cramps. Triple that and put it between your legs. It feels like swelling and prolonged and continuous sensation of pain, but not a shooting pain."
14. "For me it doesn’t hurt like a lot of guys say. It's more of an uncomfortable feeling and it can make me antsy. It will also affect my mood; I will be very short and a tad bit angry."
15. "Pain. Pure pain."
16. "I was 16 and made out with a girl for two hours, who is now an elementary school principal. There was an intense ache and I was sensitive as hell to touch, or sudden movement. To top it off, I had the secondary third-degree of explaining to my parents why I was home past curfew. I'm really not sure what part was more humiliating."
17. "My [testicles] are in a vice and someone is trying to squeeze them out of my throat."
18. "It's the friggin' worst. It's like a stinging pain. Not like a bee sting but like a jellyfish on your junk."
19. "I've had a vasectomy — welcome to earth, my fourth child — and my blue balls is way worse. There's a humiliating psychological component to it too. You feel guilty about pressuring a person you presumably really like into doing something she's not ready to do and then, as a Catholic, are perversely more turned on by your own shame. I feel like I've said too much."
20. "Kinda. For sure there's an ache but for me it's more a matter of just being physically uncomfortable rather than pain. Think of having a sore back: no matter how you sit or stand, it's just there."
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