Erectile Dysfunction

Some cyclists opt for a big, soft-gel seat.

But that can be the worst choice for circulation, some experts say.

Riders on large gel seats sink in, and the gel tends to bunch up under the tender bits, cutting off blood flow.Women can also be affected.

A study of 48 young women competitive cyclists and 22 women runners published last year in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that the cyclists had decreased genital sensation compared with the runners, but that this didn’t have any negative effects on their sexual function.

Another study found that female competitive cyclists who spent a lot of time on their bicycles had swelling and damage to the lymphatic vessels in the vulva.Then a professor at the Boston University School of Medicine, where he headed the Institute for Sexual Medicine, commented: “Riding should be banned and outlawed.” A study presented to the American Urological Assn.

in 1997 found that 4.2 percent of cyclists had moderate to complete ED, compared with 1.1 percent of runners.

That study compared 738 male riders from a Boston cycling club with an age-matched control group of runners.

A second study, presented to the association the following year comparing cyclists and swimmers, found that 4 percent of cyclists had ED compared with 2 percent of swimmers.

Older bicyclists an...

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