It's called blue box.

And I'm not talking about recycling.

For ages, men have complained about a not-so-pleasant feeling that can occur in the lower extremities if their sexual desires are not fulfilled. This goes beyond the dudes in Blue Ball, Ohio -- yes it's a real place.

I've learned women suffer from what Toronto sexologist Stephen de Wit calls "blue box."

"Women describe it as pelvic heaviness, similar to the experience with the onset of menstruation," de Wit said.

Although the condition isn't nearly as well known as the male equivalent, de Wit argues that it's because society is much more accepting of men talking about sex than women.

"(Blue balls is) funny. It's kind of sexy. Guys can leverage off that and sometimes be idiots with that. For women, it's less common to say, 'Hey, I got blue box and I need to have an orgasm."

And heck, women may even suffer from blue box more than men get blue balls because it's easier for men to reach their peak than it is for the ladies.

For comparison's sake, a male friend told me blue balls feels "like a kick in the nuts."

Let's face it, it does make a gal wonder if it's a ploy for him to steal a base.

De Wit, however, says it's not a known medical condition and not everyone gets it.

"You don't see men walking down the street crumpled over when they have blue balls. That may be a bit of an over exaggeration."

The Historical Dictionary of American Slang defines blue balls as "testicular discomfort caused by sexual stimulation without ejaculation."

Experts tell me the testicles or vulva become engorged with blood, but don't turn blue like blueberries, although I remember in high school guys did make it sound like their berries were going to fall off if they were left hanging.

"It's one of these arsenals of lies and tricks that men have used to persuade women," said Grant Barrett, a radio host on "A Way with Words" and lexicographer specializing in slang.

"It is believed that (the term blue balls) comes by comparison to the lividly of the skin due to severe cold, sickness, or poor circulation, which would clearly have one feeling terrible," he said.

He offered the example of an elastic band being wrapped around a finger, causing pain and turning the skin a bluish hue, hence the term "feeling blue" or sad, which dates back to the mid 1700s.

Blue as an adjective can mean obscene, dating back to the 1820s, which could have come from the term "blue laws," meaning censorious legislation, according to word-detective.com.

Also, back in the day, the term blue balls was known as venereal buboes -- a colourful swollen groin as a symptom of sexually transmitted disease. The term was recorded as early as 1912, Barrett said, and blue balls also has referred to gonorrhea.

Ouch. That could certainly have a guy feeling blue.