Sperm Cramps

About

Sperm Cramps is a slang term referring to the idea that men get cramps or pains similar to period pains caused by their sperm, often suggested to be caused by sperm buildup (similar to the term "blue balls"), although sometimes purported to be a monthly occurrence. The idea began spreading in memes on TikTok in October 2022 via videos in which men complain about their sperm cramps and compare them to periods, spreading across social media over the following months. However, there are no studies that suggest sperm cramps are real.

Origin

On October 4th, 2022, TikToker^[1] @bros_p_ posted a video showing a man writhing in pain, crying and holding his testicles captioned, "sperm cramps," writing in the description, "We have cramps also," garnering over 11.3 million views in six months (shown below). This is the earliest known post about sperm cramps.

Spread

The idea of sperm cramps spread over the following months. On November 10th, 2022, TikToker^[2] @therealtiktokdoc posted a video claiming it is real and holding up a blue ball, referring to the supposed condition "blue balls"^[3] (defined as a pain caused by sexual buildup but no release), garnering over 3.5 million views in five months (shown below, left). On November 18th, TikToker^[4] @natheer.nash posted a video referring to sperm cramps, garnering over 800,000 views in the same rough span of time (shown below, right).

On December 29th, Twitter^[5] user @spaceeong posted a screenshot of a seemingly now-deleted TikTok about sperm cramps, writing, "y’all women don’t understand," garnering over 129,000 likes in four months (shown below). On December 30th, TIkToker^[6] @stavroskap_ posted a video about sperm cramps, garnering over 6 million views in four months.

On March 15th, 2023, Instagram^[7] user yourlordandsaviorpoopjesus posted the Twitter screenshot, garnering over 46,000 likes in a month. On March 26th, Little Angel IVF^[10] published an article about sperm cramps, claiming there is no research to suggest they exist. On April 11th, Instagram^[8] user ftb posted a version of the meme that gained over 28,000 likes in eight days (shown below). On April 18th, Twitter^[9] user @hourly_shitpost reposted one of the memes, garnering over 162,000 likes in a day.

Various Examples

@niklasmarton They will never know our struggle… #november #justicefortheboys #gutta #foryou ♬ original sound – Niklas Marton

@stavroskap_ Replying to @joshlewishumphreys ♬ original sound – EX7STENCE™

Search Interest

External References