You may have heard the term ‘blue balls’ before, but did you know that it is an actual medical condition and not just something that men say when they have not gotten lucky in a while?
Blue balls is a slang name for a condition that can affect people with male reproductive organs. Blue balls is the feeling of your testicles hurting or being uncomfortable and is commonly associated with prolonged sexual arousal without ejaculation.
Blue balls is simply slang for a genuine medical condition known as epididymal hypertension or EH for short. EH is a condition that causes the epididymis, the small tube that is located at the back of the testicles, to become swollen or inflamed.
Epididymal hypertension can be hard to say, which could be why a lot of people simply use the term blue balls. It is pronounced - eppy-diddy-mull hype-er-ten–shun
There can be a few reasons why blue balls occur. The most common cause is because of prolonged sexual arousal without ejaculation then the blood in his penis and testicles will not drain. This will lead to a build-up in pressure, and subsequently pain.
Blue balls are not considered to be a serious medical condition and the discomfort or pain will subside within a few hours. However, if you find that the pain you are feeling is continuous and does not go away after a few hours then you may wish to consider visiting your doctor.
If you begin to feel pain or discomfort in your testicles then you may become concerned as this could be a sign of other conditions aside from blue balls. The main symptoms of blue balls that you can keep an eye on include: - Mild pain - Discomfort in the genitals - A ‘heavy’ feeling in the testicles - Changes to the size of the scrotum - A very slight blue tinge to the testicles
Other conditions can have similar symptoms to blue balls. Testicular conditions can be serious, so you should be vigilant if you begin to feel any of the symptoms mentioned previously.
Pain or swelling in the testicles can be a symptom of STIs including chlamydia or gonorrhoea. If your pain is persistent or more severe then it could be a sign of an STI.
Sustained, serious pain in the testicles or groin can be a sign of kidney stones.
Testicular torsion is a condition in which the testicle twists around the spermatic cord which will cut off blood flow to the testicle. The main symptom of this is sudden and severe pain in the testicles. This will be much more severe than the pain you would feel with blue balls.
As mentioned before, the symptoms of blue balls will subside a few hours after you first experience them. If your symptoms continue after a few hours then you may wish to visit a doctor as this may be a sign of a more serious condition.
If you feel that you are suffering from blue balls the best treatment is to simply wait and see if the symptoms subside on their own. You can try to apply ice or a hot compress to the area to reduce swelling. The quickest way to relieve blue balls is to ejaculate.