Apparently, Women — Not Just Men — Can Get Blue Balls, Too
He's not the only one who should be complaining.
Most heterosexual women are familiar with the blue balls excuse that men use as a justification for why we must have sex with them right away. We've all heard how painful and frustrating it is to get close to finishing and then being unable to ejaculate. Blue balls, or Epididymal Hypertension, is that uncomfortable feeling in the penis and balls that happens when pressure isn't released.
But here's the thing: women get blue balls, too, we just don't have a catchy name for it.
Elite Daily calls it Blue Clit, The Frisky has named it Pink Balls, Urban Dictionary labels it Blue Bean, but probably the term that's the most fitting is Blue Vulva. (Blue Vulva is a great name for a band, but it's not as great as blue balls are for a condition.)
When both men and women get sexually excited, blood rushes to the genital area while nearby veins constrict to keep the blood there; this is known as vasoconstriction.
In men, this collection of extra blood causes the penis to become erect and the balls to enlarge by about 20 percent. In women, the labia, vagina and clitoris swell and lubricate, and the breasts and nipples get larger and more sensitive.
In both male and females, their heart rate, breathing, and muscular tension increase, as the sexual tension grows and becomes more intense. These are all signs of arousal.
When a man climaxes, he ejaculates and all is well with the world. When a woman orgasms, the uterus and pelvic muscles contract and she may also ejaculate (though the debate about that rages on). After an orgasm, the bodies of both sexes go back to their normal non-aroused state.
But if there's no orgasm, it takes longer (and possibly a little more effort) for the physical signs of arousal to diminish. And no matter what gender you may be, you'll feel achy or have pressure in the genital and pelvic areas.
When all that extra blood stays trapped in the testicles, the balls take on a bluish tint; hence, blue balls. For females, their vagina, vulva, and clitoris are super sensitive, possibly darker in color, and still lubed up.
As with men, women have a number of options: they can wait it out, masturbate the pain away, use an ice pack or a warm crotch compress, or take a moderately cold shower which will help to chill out those engorged body parts.
In other words, men, we feel your pain, we just don't have our own medically recognized term for it.