Truth behind 'blue balls' being dangerous as No Nut November comes to an end at midnight

So, the time has come, we have almost crossed the No Nut November finish line.

If you're one of the many who took on the lofty challenge and managed to get to the end of the month, congratulations - though I'm sure there's been many a fallen soldier along the way.

One of the biggest questions people have had over the past few weeks is whether there really is something such as 'blue balls'.

It's a term that's often bandied around, with blokes concerned about taking part because of how abstaining from ejaculating may affect them.

But do they really go blue?

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The truth is yes and no; despite the rumours, they won't resemble a Smurf, however, they may go a touch blueish due to the blood circulation rushing to the genitals and engorging (shudder) your veins.

With the name being what it is, and the misconceptions around the term, it's no wonder lads have traditionally had some concerns over it.

But we're here to tell you that there is no need to worry, they're not going to fall off.

The term refers to a pain some men experience when they are turned on for a prolonged period of time but don't manage to, well, summit the mountain, so to speak.

Officially known as epididymal hypertension, blue balls occurs when there's an increase in blood flow to your genitals when you're aroused, leading to an erection, obviously.

The veins that typically take blood away from the genitals restrict and trap it there.

When you ejaculate and you've hit the peak of arousal, the blood vessels return to their usual size and everything goes back down to normal.

If you don't release this build-up of pressure, the blood flow will be uncomfortably inflating your genitals.

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However, although blue balls are uncomfortable, it's not actually dangerous and usually doesn't last that long.

The tenderness of your testicles should subside once the erection has passed and blood flow returns to normal.

There is obviously a DIY method to sort this out, but if you have been really committed to the cause this month, you won't even have considered that.

Instead, you may have tried hitting the gym or doing a bit of exercise to get your blood flowing back to normal.

You might even have resorted to having a cold shower to help restrict blood flow to the genitals, or applying a warm compress to ease the pain.

The good news is those days are almost behind you now you've nearly made it to the end.

Topics: Health, Sex and Relationships

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom