Levang Samantha, Henkelman Megan, Neish Robin, Zukerman Wendy, Terrell Blythe, Jackman Victoria, Coyle Shannon, Brahmbhatt Jamin, Pukall Caroline
Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L3L3, Canada.
Gimlet Media, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States.
Sex Med. 2023 May 3;11(2):qfad016. doi: 10.1093/sexmed/qfad016. eCollection 2023 Apr.
Blue balls/vulva has received increasing interest from the public in recent years, sparking debate about genital physiology, controversy around "sexual release" as a treatment for this type of pain, and sexual consent.
This cross-sectional, mixed-methods online study aimed to evaluate the general understanding and frequency of blue balls/vulva and whether individuals have ever been pressured to continue sexual activity because of a partner's fears of experiencing pain without orgasm.
A total of 2621 individuals with a penis (n = 1483) or vagina (n = 1138) were recruited for an online survey on the experience of "blue balls/vulva." Quantitative analyses consisted primarily of descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses. Between-group differences were analyzed (based on whether respondents reported having a penis or vagina), and responses to open-ended questions were examined via thematic analysis.
The primary outcomes of interest were reports of the belief in blue balls/vulva, the frequency and pain characteristics of blue balls/vulva, and the incidence of being pressured to continue sexual activity due to a partner's fears of experiencing pain without orgasm.
Results indicated that significantly more individuals with a penis than a vagina reported believing that blue balls are real, endorsed experiencing pain when they approached orgasm but did not ejaculate, and reported moderate and severe pain. Significantly more individuals with a vagina than a penis reported being pressured into a sexual act due to a partner's fear of experiencing pain without orgasm. Results from the thematic analysis indicated that participants recognized that those with a vagina are expected to act sexually to prevent their partners' experience of blue balls, despite agreement that this phenomenon should not be used to coerce or manipulate partners into engaging sexually.
Education on the frequency of this phenomenon and methods to relieve pain alternative to partnered sexual activity should be addressed in patients who present with this condition.
Although the survey was brief, it provided information from a relatively large sample about whether people believe that this phenomenon exists, how many experience it, how painful it is, and how often it has been used as an excuse for a partner to continue sexual activity.
Results indicated that severe pain exists in a minority of individuals, that solitary sexual and nonsexual activities can help to alleviate the discomfort, and that this pain is not a valid reason to continue unwanted sexual activity.
近年来，“蓝丸”/外阴疼痛受到公众越来越多的关注，引发了关于生殖生理的讨论、围绕将“性释放”作为此类疼痛治疗方法的争议以及性同意问题。
这项横断面、混合方法的在线研究旨在评估对“蓝丸”/外阴疼痛的总体理解和发生频率，以及个体是否曾因伴侣担心无高潮时会经历疼痛而被迫继续性行为。
共招募了2621名有阴茎者（n = 1483）或有阴道者（n = 1138）参与一项关于“蓝丸”/外阴疼痛体验的在线调查。定量分析主要包括描述性统计和卡方分析；分析组间差异（基于受访者报告有阴茎还是有阴道），并通过主题分析检查对开放式问题的回答。
感兴趣的主要结果包括对“蓝丸”/外阴疼痛的相信程度报告、“蓝丸”/外阴疼痛发生频率和疼痛特征，以及因伴侣担心无高潮时会经历疼痛而被迫继续性行为的发生率。
结果表明，报告相信“蓝丸”真实存在、在接近高潮但未射精时经历疼痛以及报告有中度和重度疼痛的有阴茎者显著多于有阴道者；因伴侣担心无高潮时会经历疼痛而被迫进行性行为的有阴道者显著多于有阴茎者。主题分析结果表明，参与者认识到人们期望有阴道者进行性行为以防止伴侣经历“蓝丸”疼痛，尽管大家一致认为这种现象不应被用来胁迫或操纵伴侣进行性行为。
对于出现这种情况的患者，应开展关于该现象发生频率以及替代性伴侣性行为的缓解疼痛方法的教育。
尽管调查简短，但它从相对较大的样本中提供了有关人们是否相信这种现象存在、有多少人经历过、疼痛程度如何以及它被用作伴侣继续性行为借口的频率的信息。
结果表明，少数个体存在严重疼痛，独自进行性活动和非性活动有助于缓解不适，且这种疼痛不是继续进行不情愿性行为的正当理由。
