It turns out ‘blue balls’ is a real medical condition and not just an urban myth – well, according to one doctor, who has cleared up a few misconceptions about the issue.
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.
But while many people over the years have disputed its legitimacy, Dr Sam Hay explained that the ‘achy’ sensation is very much real, despite always assuming it was an ‘urban myth’.
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.
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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.”
According to Lloyds Pharmacy, a ‘classic case of blue balls’ doesn’t require medical attention, and that most of the time you can make yourself feel better by masturbating, having sex or simply waiting for the symptoms to pass on their own.
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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.
Featured Image Credit: Andrea Piacquadio/AlamyTopics: World News, Health, Sex and Relationships