EPIDIDYMAL HYPERTENSION (Blue Balls) in Males and Females.
What is Epididymal Hypertension?
Epididymal Hypertension a.k.a "Blue Balls" is a testicular aching that occurs as a result of blood being accumulated or retained in the male’s genitals after prolonged sexual arousal and is not dispersed by an orgasm.
What Causes Epididymal Hypertension?
When a man becomes sexually aroused, the arteries carrying blood to his genitals enlarges, while the veins leaving the genital area constricts, granting less blood to escape.
This uniform rate of blood flow increases the amount and pressure of blood flow and traps it in the genital area. This pressure is accountable for producing an erection that makes the testes swell 25 to 50% larger than their normal size.
If an orgasm is reached, the blood vessels will then return to their normal sizes and the volume of blood in the genitals rapidly returns to its normal level. In other words, if a man does not achieve an orgasm, blood in the genital area builds up through a process known as "vasogongestion" and might create sensations of heaviness, discomfort or aching.
The accumulation of deoxygenated blood in the testicles causes the scrotum to turn a bluish hue and this is the reason this condition is termed “Blue Balls”. The oxygen rich blood on the skin surface creates a red color, while blood with little oxygen appears blue. The longer blood stays in the scrotum and testes without circulating to the lungs and heart the less oxygen it collects and the more blue the skin appears.
Epididymal hypertension does not usually last long and oftentimes the pain associated with blue balls is minor. Most men may become frustrated when they get an erection during sexual activities but do not achieve orgasm. This frustration and failure to ejaculate is capable of adding psychological stress to physical discomfort, making blue balls appear even worse. Men who feel pressure to ejaculate each time they are aroused may attempt to force an unwilling partner to take part in sexual activity leading to his own climax.
How is Blue Balls Treated?
The simplest remedy for blue balls is ejaculation and orgasm. Masturbation is often the most viable way to obtain this orgasm, especially if one's partner doesn't want to have sex. Testicular pain usually dissipates slowly after orgasm, or on its own when the individual is no longer aroused. Realizing that ejaculation isn't a requirement for all sexual activities may help partners become more comfortable together and experience better sexual intimacy.
Other quick ways to become unaroused:
•Think of something nonsexual
•Take a cold shower
•Work or do activities that keep you busy
•Distract yourself with music
•Exercise might also help because it can move the flow of blood away from your testicles to your muscles.
•Apply an ice pack or other cold substance to the area might also help because it will constrict the blood vessels and reduce additional blood flow to the area.
Epididymal Hypertension in women or "Blue Vulva".
Women are also affected by pelvic congestion, or “blue vulva”, and experience the discomfort of unreleased vasocongestion. During sexual arousal womens’ vulva, ovaries and uterus swell with blood, causing the feeling of heaviness and aching that men experience in their genital area. This discomfort in women can also be relieved by achieving an orgasm or by merely waiting for a period of time. Note that “blue vulva” or the generic term “pelvic congestion” is different from “pelvic congestive syndrome”. Pelvic congestive syndrome, unlike blue vulva is a condition where enlarged varicose veins cause chronic aching in the pelvic region.
Treatment of PCS
The discomfort or pain one experiences from pelvic congestive syndrome (PCS) can't be simply relieved by orgasm. If the discomfort associated with PCS does not discipate, embolization actions are often conducted. An embolization is a reduced invasive, outpatient procedure where a physician inserts a thin catheter, into the femoral vein of the groin to relieve pressure while the patient is placed under local anesthesia.
Other non-surgical remedies for PCS may involve physical therapy or electrical nerve stimulation.
CONCLUSION
Blue balls or Epididymal Hypertension refers to the heaviness or pain caused by a delay in orgasm. Most males don’t often experience it, and it’s not generally serious. You should talk to a sex therapist or a doctor if it causes you significant pains or affects the value of your sex life. Constant pain in the testicles, mostly if it’s not related to sexual stimulations, may indicate an even more serious issue if it's accompanied by other symptoms.
References.
