What are blue balls? Many people – health care providers included – are familiar with this term in reference to the discomfort that occurs in response to prolonged sexual arousal without orgasm.
Although no one knows how the pain of the blue balls begins, most of them cause the blood to flow slowly from the testicles due to the lack of orgasm during sex.
One of the most important physiological aspects of sex is the flow of blood to various parts of the body, including the genitals. The genital symptoms of sexual arousal include the discharge of the reproductive organs leading to contraction of the penis and external clitoris, and this engorgement usually ends quickly after orgasm, which acts as a quick release valve.
If there is no orgasm, the blood flow can take a long time to return to the weak state (think of a slow release valve), which is thought to cause discomfort or pain in some people.
In addition, reproductive organs can take on a blue color due to the presence of deoxygenated blood under the skin, hence the word “blue” in “blue balls.”
Although many people have heard of the “blue balls” and a quick Internet search reveals links to various health-related and popular websites with relevant information, there is surprisingly little research about it in medical journals. Is this because the events of the blue balls “don’t matter?”
Anyone can get ‘blue balls’
My research team and I joined the team of the Science Vs podcast Wendy Zukerman and Blythe Terrell to analyze the results of a study conducted in 2021 and evaluate those who experience problems during sex without orgasm.
The survey also asked about the effects of this event in terms of the amount of time and the level of discomfort, and whether the respondents were asked to continue having sex with their partner who had experienced this.
The results, which included responses from more than 2,000 respondents (about 57 percent with penises and 43 percent with penises) and were published in Sexual Medicinerevealed that in some ways, this event is “no big deal” and in other ways, it is a very big deal.
Let’s first explain the main issue that is considered by the word “blue balls” in relation to those who may encounter this, according to the results of this study.
The term suggests that the discomfort caused by sexual desire without orgasm is only found in the “balls,” meaning the scrotum. The method of arousing sexual desire that we have already described, does not mention the genitals that include the scrotum.
It occurs in all bodies, as long as there are no obstacles (for example, health that affects the flow of blood) in the act of intercourse.
In line with this, our results show that more than 42 percent of those who had a vulva reported that they experience discomfort due to the sensation of sex without orgasm. Sixty-six percent of those polled with penises said this.
Also, pain and suffering were few and far between. This is related to the lack of medical research and clinical care on this topic.
Concerns about enforcement
Respondents’ reports of the effects of being with a partner who experienced or feared pain without orgasm, however, were more worrisome. More women with a vagina (40.1 percent) than those with a penis (3.7 percent) said they were forced to have sex during this period.
Compulsive sex is sexual compulsion, which is associated with negative consequences related to health and well-being, such as an increase in the risk of depression and anxiety, self-doubt, and negative feelings about sex.
Sexual activity in response to coercion is certainly not compatible with consent to sexual activity willingly and freely.
The recent discussion about forced sex in response to “blue balls” was heavily influenced by the response to TikTok, which was removed. This TikTok said that “blue balls” are not painful and men use them as a trick to entice their partners to have sex with them.
This caused an uproar, with angry comments posted by those who described incidents of continuing to have sex out of guilt to protect their partner’s pain.
In our study, most of the participants said in their own words that pain without orgasm should not be used as a means of coercion. However, the results also showed that almost half of the participants – mainly women and some men – reported that they were forced to have sex.
Gender expectations
It will take a lot of effort to change the attitudes about sexual expectations in our society, which are mostly male or female.
Traditional sex texts – guidelines for “proper” homosexual intercourse (eg, the “steps” to intercourse, such as kissing and touching) – emphasize the pleasures of gay men.
The difference in orgasm, which is defined as the amount of energy in homosexual men compared to homosexual women during intercourse, is only one example of a real manifestation of the sexual privilege of men.
Compulsive sex in response to pain due to sex without orgasm is another example. Also, note that this has been shown to occur in men who have sex with men.
Sexual coercion includes actions such as begging, pleading, and making the other person feel guilty for the pain or that it is their fault that the pain exists (for example, calling the other person “insult”).
Our research has found that many things can help with pain that do not involve pressure, including masturbation, waiting, cold or heat application, as well as non-sexual activities such as exercise, sleep, or study.
It’s time to take the management of this pain into your own hands, so to speak, as it will pass, and it’s not a good reason to explain to others who don’t want to end it.
Caroline Pukall, Professor, Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Ontario
This article is reprinted from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the first article.
