# Which is more painful pregnancy and childbirth or a kick in the nuts? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 16, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099 "2013-03-16T16:04:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EverwonderWhy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EverwonderWhy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EverwonderWhy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/1 "2013-03-16T16:04:51Z")
[This post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16102623&postcount=79)got me thinking which is more painful (since I have experienced neither myself) pregnancy and childbirth or swift kick in the nuts? If I had to speculate I would put a kick in the nuts more on par with severe menstrual cramps. What say you all? Also: Women who have children, did you desire pregnancy and childbirth or was it just what you had to suffer through in order to have a baby at the end of it all? Men who have children, would you suffer a kick in the nuts in order to have your children? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/2 "2013-03-16T16:08:57Z")
Most pregnancies take a lifetime to get past. Only a few kicks in the nuts are that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/3 "2013-03-16T16:11:53Z")
I desired pregnancy the first time, now that I’ve done it I’m not excited about doing it again. Never was interested in the childbirth part. Possibly a swift kick in the nuts is as painful as birth, but only for a few seconds. Labor lasts hours; pushing sometimes lasts hours too. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/4 "2013-03-16T16:14:07Z")
> [@EverwonderWhy](#): > > Women who have children, did you desire pregnancy and childbirth or was it just what you had to suffer through in order to have a baby at the end of it all? Pregnancy was an interesting experience and there were some good things about it. Overall though, I’d have rather just had the baby. If there were artificial wombs and I wanted another kid, sign me up. And childbirth, no, not a single thing good about that for me. ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/5 "2013-03-16T16:15:08Z")
From what I have gathered from talking to my husband and male friends about it, the pain from the kick in the nuts is twofold - the sharp pain from the contact and the stomach churning lingering pain afterwards. I don’t know what to compare the kick part to, but the lingering pain seems very comparable to a bad menstrural cramp. Just that stomach sickening, long term, “low tone” kind of pain that lasts and lasts. ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/6 "2013-03-16T16:18:07Z")
To answer the OP - I loved being pregnant. Did it twice, and had some no so fun stuff, like hemoroids and sharp nipple pain, but I loved it. The labor and delivery was not so fun, but the really hurty writhe in your bed pain only lasted a few hours, and it was extremely cool from a science/experience point of view. Raising the kids is the deal breaker for me. I wanted five, but after the second and the sleepless nights and the 18 years of heavy responsibility, we decided to stop. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/7 "2013-03-16T16:52:30Z")
I really found pregnancy fascinating, and am very glad I had the opportunity to go through it. It wasn’t always fun, but it was very, very interesting, and feeling the baby move/kick/roll was endlessly amazing: I never got tired of that. Delivery was an emergency c-section under general anesthetic, and I would say that was probably worse than a generic kick in the nuts: it was certainly scarier, and the first day or so afterwards was pretty painful. ---
**Author:** ![huck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@huck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/huck)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/8 "2013-03-16T16:52:31Z")
I found pregnancy pretty easy (just lucky) and childbirth interesting in the way that a challenging run or climb is interesting. There is a goal to be achieved with childbirth that makes getting through it something to be mastered, obviously not the case with a kick in the nuts. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/9 "2013-03-16T16:54:09Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > Raising the kids is the deal breaker for me. I wanted five, but after the second and the sleepless nights and the 18 years of heavy responsibility, we decided to stop. [curious]Why five?[/curious] ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/10 "2013-03-16T17:49:49Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > [curious]Why five?[/curious] Maybe not exactly five, but “a lot”. Five is just my shorthand for it. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/11 "2013-03-16T18:03:55Z")
[[URL=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu\_%28negative%29#.22Unasking.22\_the\_question”]Mu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu). ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/12 "2013-03-16T18:04:36Z")
Obviously the op is an unanswerable question, but here’s a more reasonable one - which is worse, childbirth or a kidney stone? Or is it an apples and oranges comparison? I’ve had kidney stones, so I know what those are like and surely some of the mothers around here have dealt with both at some point. Any opinions? ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/13 "2013-03-16T18:17:14Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > [curious]Why five?[/curious] [Bill Cosby]Because they do not want six.[/Bill Cosby] ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/14 "2013-03-16T18:46:07Z")
I suspect it will be difficult to find someone who has experienced both, so it’s hard to say. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/15 "2013-03-16T18:58:23Z")
Based on my husbands reaction when getting kicked in the nuts, I would say that the pain level of labor and getting kicked is about the same, but labor last much longer, making it worse. That being said, I would go through labor again, in a second. My daughter is completely worth it, and it was only about 9 hours long. Pregnancy was hell. It was 9 months of pure, uncomfortable misery. I had a relatively complication-free pregnancy and it is still a major factor in my uncertainty regarding more children. To me, it is kind of like having a bucket of water dumped on you versus a constant drip of water on your forehead over 9 months. ---
**Author:** ![EverwonderWhy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EverwonderWhy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EverwonderWhy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/16 "2013-03-16T18:59:08Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I suspect it will be difficult to find someone who has experienced both, so it’s hard to say. > > Regards, > Shodan Agreed. But another question for the men was if suffering a hard kick in the nuts was the only way to have children would they do it? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/17 "2013-03-16T19:54:38Z")
> [@EverwonderWhy](#): > > Agreed. But another question for the men was if suffering a hard kick in the nuts was the only way to have children would they do it? :dubious: What, like, they’re seized up and you need to give them a jolt? ---
**Author:** ![EverwonderWhy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EverwonderWhy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EverwonderWhy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/18 "2013-03-16T20:27:43Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > :dubious: What, like, they’re seized up and you need to give them a jolt? No, that the only way to produce offspring rests on men (not women) – who must consent to be kicked in the balls. In another thread someone stated if procreation rested on men suffering a kick in the nuts then the birth rate would dramatically decline because getting kicked in the nuts was more painful than childbirth. I said the only reason women suffered through childbirth was their desire for a kid - not because they think childbirth is nice or not that painful - and men who genuinely desired children would suffer a kick in the nuts if that was the only way to have a kid. However, since I have experienced neither childbirth or a hard kick in the balls I thought it would be interesting to solicit opinions from those who have. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/19 "2013-03-16T20:31:35Z")
I’ve known someone who has had kidney stones and gone through unmedicated childbirth within a few months of each other. She says the kidney stones were worse. But then, every labor’s different, and she had one that she was able to get through without asking for medication. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099/20 "2013-03-16T20:39:49Z")
Oddly enough, I found this in my email today: "Man + Beer = Deep, Profound Thoughts! I mowed the lawn today, and afterwards sat down and had a cold beer. The day was quite beautiful and the drink facilitated some deep thinking on various topics. Finally I thought about an age old question: Is giving birth more painful than getting kicked in the nuts? Women always maintain that giving birth is more painful than a guy getting kicked in the nuts. Well, after another beer and some more thinking, I came up with the answer. Getting kicked in the nuts is way more painful than having a baby; and here’s why. A year or so after giving birth, a woman will often say, “It might be nice to have another child.” On the other hand, you never hear a guy say, “You know, I think I’d like another kick in the nuts.” Case closed, time for another beer. And more thinking." Personally, never having experienced either, I have no opinion. I just wanted to share that. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-more-painful-pregnancy-and-childbirth-or-a-kick-in-the-nuts/653099.md?page=2)