'Blue Balls' Is Real Condition, Says Doctor

The term is used to describe the sensation some men have when they experience prolonged sexual arousal without having an orgasm, which some say feels like a strange ache. 

However, he said testicles don’t tend to turn bright blue as the mental image suggests, but they can take on a ‘sort of blue hue’ due to engorged veins. 

Speaking on Australian radio show KIIS 1065 earlier this week, Hay said: “I always thought blue balls was this urban myth that if you stay aroused for [too] long your balls will go blue and they’ll fall off and the only way to relieve it is to have some fun. 

“I thought it was a complete excuse for guys to get off - but it’s actually true.” 

Hay explained how ‘pressure’ builds in the testicles during an erection, but this comes from an increase in blood flow, not a painful build-up of semen, as some mistakenly believe. 

Revealing that the medical term is known as ‘epididymal hypertension’, added: “If you become aroused for a long time, you get lots of blood going down to the testicles and it increases the pressure... If you don’t [ejaculate] then that pressure becomes achy.” 

Other things that may help include having a cold shower, exercise, working on a complex task, listening to music or finding another distraction to keep you busy. 

However, if you’re regularly experiencing pain in your testicles – and not just when you’re sexually aroused – Lloyds Pharmacy advised that it’s worth speaking to your GP, as there are a number of conditions that can cause symptoms similar to blue balls, such as sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhoea, mumps, testicular torsion, kidney stones and urinary tract infections.