Avoiding the cycle: is bike riding causing erectile dysfunction?

Bike riding is a great sport for keeping active as we get older, but are men at higher risk of health issues if they ride? A study from the University of Hawaii, as well as many other sources, have found strong evidence to suggest that cycling for prolonged periods can increase your risk of erectile dysfunction, particularly those over 50.

With this research coming to light, scientists have warned that men should be careful about the time spent on their bikes. They also found that men over 50 who cycle for just half an hour every day double the risk of prostate cancer, with this increasing to six times the risk for those who cycled for 8 hours and 45 minutes+ a week. Researchers have said that there are more studies to be done however male riders should have the appropriate regular health checks.

Other research from the University of Hawaii looked at otherwise healthy males who had experienced erectile dysfunction after taking up cycling. This is one of the case studies:

A 55-year-old man, who never had a bicycle accident or any sexual dysfunction, started riding a stationary bicycle after a heart attack. Seven years later, after pedalling over 80,000km (around 30km a day), his heart was indeed strong, but his penis had gone soft. Special studies uncovered no abnormalities in the penis itself, but right where it attaches to the pubic bone (exactly where the bicycle seat fits), a urologist found arterial lumenal obstruction that was impairing blood flow to the patient’s penis.

Some of us, men and women, do avoid cycling because we worry about damage caused our their sexual organs and although science says that riding your bike can be a factor in ED or cancer of the testes or prostate, it isn’t inevitable and shouldn’t deter us from this great form of exercise. Even women can get numbness and soreness in their genitals when they ride.

But why does a bike seat, specifically, contribute to problems in the groin area? We sit on other chairs during the day, so what’s the difference? Normal chairs and seats distribute your weight, whereas a bicycle seat forces you to sort of straddle the seat, causing the nerves and arteries that pump blood into the penis to be compressed. This is when some men experience “numb nuts” or loss of sensation. A Norwegian study showed that one in five of the 160 participating cyclers had numbness of the penis and 13 per cent had prolonged erectile dysfunction – pretty worrying results.

Essentially, the more you ride, the higher your risk. Luckily, there are ways to reduce your chance of cutting off blood flow:

– Raise your handlebars so you sit upright properly
– Take breaks during your ride and get off
– Wear padded pants specifically for riding
– Tilt the seat down
– Pick a wider seat with extra padding

Do you ride? Have you experienced a loss of blood flow to the groin? What do you do to reduce your risk? What is your experience with riding and are you worried about your health? Share your story below.