Researchers have already linked biking and erectile dysfunction. However, according to a recent study, biking may also be hazardous to women’s sexual health. Yay, equality!
The study measured the numbness, soreness and sensations felt “down there” by female bikers who cycle at least 10 miles a week. It was expanding on a 2006 Yale study that found female cyclists to have less genital sensation than female runners.
The most recent study looked at 48 female cyclists who brought their bikes into a lab and allowed them to be mounted them onto stationary machines. The riders adjusted the bikes according to their personal preferences and proceeded to ride them. While they pedaled, researchers used a device to measure what was going on in their pelvic floor, as well as having each woman express what they were feeling in their nether regions.
The results found handlebar position to have the greatest impact on the cyclers’ lady bits.
Women who prefer their handlebars below their seats are putting more of their weight on their perineum (external genitalia stuff) and decreasing sensation in their pelvic floor (internal genitalia stuff).
But fear not road and track bikerettes, you don’t need to abandon your pedals quite yet. You may be able to keep your hoo-ha happy by replacing your seat with a “no-nose” saddle, Steven M. Schrader told The New York Times.
Schrader, a scientist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, believes his solution to seat risks for male bike cops can be applied to women. However, he hasn’t tested his saddle-seat solution on female cyclists, so you still have a perfectly valid reason to never go to spin class.
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The study measured the numbness, soreness and sensations felt “down there” by female bikers who cycle at least 10 miles a week.
