Practicing cycling can have many benefits, but you can also suffer some complications. In the case of women, this type of exercise could have adverse effects on their sex life, as a result of the nervous compression caused by the bicycle seats.
It is the main conclusion of research published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine and led by experts from the University of California at San Francisco.
The study involved 875 women from Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Participants were recruited through Facebook ads, and they were asked about their cycling characteristics, genital numbness, and female sexual function using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI).
Numbness
After this analysis, it was established that most women experienced “numbness” associated with a “modest increase in the risk of sexual dysfunction in women.”
The duration and length of cycling in years were not associated with genital numbness in female cyclists, but genital numbness was associated with a higher risk of symptoms of FSD, as described by modestly lower FSFI subdomain scores, they note.
“Cycling can lead to microtrauma due to increased perineal pressure, possibly contributing to genital numbness and sexual dysfunction in female cyclists,” the researchers point out in their conclusions.
Changes the design of the Bicycle
Researchers say that women riding bicycles with drop handlebars are at greater risk of these problems and that the saddle design has changed little since the invention of bicycles. That is why they ask manufacturers to make an effort to adapt to these circumstances.
The authors argue that this research is vital to inform bicycle manufacturers about the design of safer seats and protective equipment for female cyclists.
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