# Male/female groin shots **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 8, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931 "2004-08-08T21:24:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![voodoochild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ed8c4c/32.png) [@voodoochild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voodoochild)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/1 "2004-08-08T21:24:10Z")
I have a question that no-one seems to be able to answer. It’s common knowledge how a kick/punch/baseball in the groin feels to a man but how does the same thing compare if you are a woman? Does the pain feel the same? Where is the pain centered? (in the vulva/travels to the stomach?) Anyone done any studies on this? I’ve tried Googling and can only find contrasting anecdotal evidence ranging from “it doesn’t hurt in the slightest” to “the most painful, sickening feeling imaginable” so that’s not much help. I would try the experiment myself but doubt i’d be able to find many volunteers… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/2 "2004-08-08T21:41:06Z")
I am assuming that your “groin shot” implies trauma to the testicles. If this is the case, a comperable experience for women would be trauma to the ovaries. This is less common than testicular trauma, but often can occur during intercourse, or even during a bimanual pelvic exam. The pain is often described as “deep”, “pulling”, and “unpleasant”. It has been compared to the pain experienced when someone’s viscera (intestines) are being stretched or otherwise injured. ---
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/3 "2004-08-08T21:41:23Z")
> [@voodoochild](#): > > I would try the experiment myself but doubt i’d be able to find many volunteers… 😛 Oh… I dunno, I think a look in the right “Adult Friends Finder” [category](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_065.html) might get you some. ---
**Author:** ![voodoochild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ed8c4c/32.png) [@voodoochild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voodoochild)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/4 "2004-08-08T22:04:37Z")
I was thinking more along the lines of an equally powerful impact to the testicles and vulva. (For example, a medium strength kick) I think i’ll steer clear of the “adult friends finder”… 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/5 "2004-08-08T22:17:08Z")
I was goofing around, playing soccer with friends as a kid, and ended up getting kicked in the groin. (Right between the legs, pretty hard. She managed to slow her kick a little, but not much.) I found myself on the ground, with my arms between my legs feeling sick and woozy. It was a bit before I could stand up again. It really really hurt, I don’t remember falling, but my friend said I “fell over like a tree”. I’d say that at times at least a “groin shot” on a female hurts just as much as on a male. It just isn’t as likely to produce sterility would be my WAG. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/6 "2004-08-08T22:20:52Z")
It hurts but I don’t think it’s anything like guys experieince. When I was in middle-school, I was at this sicence museum with an exihibit on creating electricity using an exercise bike. I tried it but the bike was too big for me. I tried to slide off the back of the seat and landed directly on this big knob that stuck out from under the seat. That hurt. But I think landing with all your body weight on any portion of your body would be painful. It didn’t seem to compare to the time I tried to close the pick-up truck back and didn’t realize my friend Michael was standing at the corner. :eek: He must have spent a good ten minutes on the ground… ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/7 "2004-08-08T22:28:51Z")
It hurts, but I think the amount of pain for a woman is much more dependent on how hard the blow is. There’s more protection to our sensitive bits down there than a guy has. –NinjaChick, who’s been training in martial arts for eight years and has caught a stray kick or two between the legs. ---
**Author:** ![voodoochild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ed8c4c/32.png) [@voodoochild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voodoochild)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/8 "2004-08-08T22:31:42Z")
That’s quite interesting, exactly my original point. Zabali\_Clawbane says “at times at least a “groin shot” on a female hurts just as much as on a male”, Tremorviolet says “It hurts but I don’t think it’s anything like guys experieince.” Could it be that it varies from person to person? I’d be quite suprised at this as most guys report feeling pretty much the same thing (aching stomach, nausia etc) Any more accounts? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/9 "2004-08-08T22:43:24Z")
> [@voodoochild](#): > > I was thinking more along the lines of an equally powerful impact to the testicles and vulva. Then you’re comparing apples to oranges (or peaches?) by this method. The testicles are not innervated quite the same way the vulva is. The deep visceral pain associated with nausea is a product of the autonomic nerve fibers, which ennervatesthe testicles and ovaries. Vulvar pain would be mediated similarly to scrotal pain, IMHO. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![voodoochild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ed8c4c/32.png) [@voodoochild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voodoochild)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/10 "2004-08-08T22:57:45Z")
That makes sense at face value but doesn’t really explain accounts such as Zabali\_Clawbane’s. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/11 "2004-08-08T23:40:36Z")
> [@voodoochild](#): > > That makes sense at face value but doesn’t really explain accounts such as Zabali\_Clawbane’s. ?? Pain hurts, regardless. Significant trauma can elicit pain, along with lightheadedness, reflex blood pressure drop, and associated nausea no matter where the site of the injury is. But you’re still comparing visceral to somatic pain when you’re comparing trauma to the testicles and trauma to the vulva. Here’s a nice reference on visceral pain. [painbooks.org is for sale](http://www.painbooks.org/visceral.html) ---
**Author:** ![voodoochild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ed8c4c/32.png) [@voodoochild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voodoochild)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/12 "2004-08-09T03:26:40Z")
Ok, just to clarify, for the purposes of this experiment, a 21 year old man and woman stood side-by-side, the man gets hits in the scrotum/testes while the woman gets hit in the labia/cltoris with a moderately powerful kick (enough to cause a black eye for example). Who will feel the most pain and how will it differ between the two? As i said earlier, reports vary from the woman feeling no pain at all to being in complete agony so it is quite confusing which is actually the case, while we all know (in the vast majority of cases) that the man will briefly feel a sharp pain in the testicles followed by a dull ache in the stomach. ---
**Author:** ![Spline32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spline32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spline32)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/13 "2004-08-09T04:51:15Z")
For the sake of knowledge, I shall share my sad experience. I was 10 years old, and I was outside riding my bike, generally not paying attention to what I was doing. Im not exactly possitive on how I ended up under a car, but I do know it backed over me. My… ehem… nether bits came into contact with the cars exhaust pipe and suffered severe burning. I’m not exactly possitive on what they did to repair them, but I can speak to the pain of burning them being FAR FAR FAR worse than just getting hit there. Thankfully the rod was unharmed, and yes, I am sterile because of it. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/14 "2004-08-09T05:09:17Z")
Er, are you male or female? I’m not sure whether by “the rod” you mean the car’s tail pipe or your penis. ---
**Author:** ![Spline32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spline32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spline32)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/15 "2004-08-09T05:14:10Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Er, are you male or female? I’m not sure whether by “the rod” you mean the car’s tail pipe or your penis. Im a guy, my testicals were burned, but my penis was untouched, thanks for asking though… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/16 "2004-08-09T09:37:06Z")
**Spline32** , I’m sorry for your situation. Seriously, on reading your post, I actually got that dull ache feeling that **voodoochild** described **Walloon** , I can’t believe you actually thought he was thankful that the _tailpipe_ was unharmed, after having been hit by a car and having his nether bits burnt :smack: ---
**Author:** ![voodoochild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ed8c4c/32.png) [@voodoochild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voodoochild)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/17 "2004-08-09T15:27:13Z")
Gouda, what actually happened to you? Are you male or female? ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/18 "2004-08-09T17:50:03Z")
I’m a female, but I can’t say whether or not it hurts worse for guys since, well, I’m not a guy! When I was 10, I was roller skating and lost my balance. I fell straight down, my crotch slamming onto my roller skate (my right leg had bent under me and my foot was perfectly aligned). Holy hell. The pain was so intense that I honestly could not breathe. Tears were streaming down my face (I found that out later, after the pain started to subside\*) and I seriously could not even see. My eyes were open but I just saw pulsating black with tons of tiny pinpricks of blue sparkling and flashing. I also couldn’t hear anything for a bit, with my friends’ voices sloooowly filtering in eventually, sounding echo-y and far away. Worst pain I’ve ever experienced. \*My friends were laughing at me for crying. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/19 "2004-08-09T19:38:26Z")
The kick I recieved was a “football punt” type kick, with the foot arched and contacting my entire crotch area. (Yeah, she wasn’t too good at proper soccer form.) It didn’t penetrate, but my friend’s shin did whallop my pubic bone, which felt achey and bruisey for a day or two afterwards. Maybe it was the nerve connections in the pubic bone area that were responsible for the severity of my reaction? Was anyone else’s blow to the pubic bone as well as the girly bits? ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931/20 "2004-08-09T21:00:50Z")
When I was a lad, first time riding a bike with handlebar brakes, I made intimate contact with the gooseneck of a 10-speed… as it made intimate contact with a brick wall, decelerating suddenly from 30 mph to approximately… ohhhh… I’d say… ZERO. But I can’t tell you much about the pain. I was _somewhere else_ for about four hours. That period of time is missing completely from my memory. I only remember waking up momentarily in the back seat of a stranger’s car, to be driven to the hospital. The pain emanating from my groin was so intense that it fogged my mind completely, and seemed to radiate out of my body and fill the car… and then I passed out again. I awoke later that day at home, to the sound of the Mr. Rogers Neighborhood theme. But it was not a beautiful day in _my_ neighborhood. Apparently I had been “out of it” the entire time, from the hospital exam to the trip home, to an hour or so nap on the couch. But the pain had mostly gone except for a dull ache like a sore muscle or bruise. The only injury on my body was a small rupture thru the skin of some blood vessels and fatty material… apparently my right nut had been driven into my abdomen with such force as to cause my subcutaneous fat to erupt thru my skin. Fortunately, something down there is working, cause 30 years later I’m about to be the proud papa of a baby son in, ohhh… about two months now… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-female-groin-shots/258931.md?page=2)