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 Spending time on a bicycle seat, which has been linked to erectile dysfunction in men, may also be a hazard to a woman’s sexual health, a new study shows. 
 
 Many women who cycle or take spin classes are familiar with the numbness that sometimes can occur from sitting on a traditional bike seat. Bike seats are designed in such a way that body weight typically rests on the nose of the seat, which can compress nerves and blood vessels in the genital area. In men, this raises the risk of erectile dysfunction, something that has been documented in studies of male police officers on bicycle patrol. 
 
 But female cyclists have not been studied as closely. A study by Yale researchers in 2006 found that female cyclists had less genital sensation compared with a control group of female runners. As a result, some scientists believe that female cyclists probably are at similar risk for sexual problems as male riders. 
 
 In the latest study, the Yale researchers tried to determine whether there are specific factors that influence soreness and numbness among female riders. Forty-eight women took part in the study, each a consistent rider who cycled a minimum of 10 miles a week, but typically much more. 
 
 The women took their personal bikes and saddles into the lab. The researchers mounted the bikes on a stationary machine, and had the riders position their seats and handlebars according to their preference. As the women pedaled, they reported whether they felt soreness, numbness or tingling as a result of sitting on the bike seat, and a device was used to measure sensation in the pelvic floor. 
 
 Notably, it was the position of the handlebars that seemed to have the most effect. Women on bikes with handlebars positioned lower than their seats experienced more pressure in an area of soft tissue called the perineum, and had decreased sensation in the pelvic floor. 
 
 The researchers found that the lower the handlebars in relation to the saddle, the more a woman has to lean forward, forcing her to put a greater percentage of her body weight on the perineum. This problem is particularly likely to occur when a rider leans forward, flattens her back and puts her hands on the “drop bars” of a road or track bicycle for a more aerodynamic position. 
 
 “We’re basically showing that there may be modifiable risk factors associated with female riders,” said Dr. Marsha K. Guess, an author of the study and an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the Yale School of Medicine. “This better positions us to educate riders on safe riding practices that may actually be beneficial to reduction of pressure and lost sensation in the pelvic floor.” 
 
 The findings, published online in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, help shed further light on the problems faced by female riders, something that needs more long-term study, said Steven M. Schrader, a scientist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health whose early research helped identify bike seat risks for male police officers on bicycle patrol. 
 
 Dr. Schrader said that over the years he has given speeches about his findings to groups of police officers who do bicycle patrol. Afterward, he said, women from the audience sometimes approach him and say, “It’s not just a men’s thing.” 
 
 “Women are having issues as well,” Dr. Schrader said. 
 
 Dr. Schrader’s research on officers showed that one of the best ways to eliminate or reduce pressure on the perineum is to use a bicycle saddle without a nose. The findings led the institute to recommend that police officers and other workers on bicycles use “no-nose” saddles, which put pressure on the sit bones, rather than the soft tissue of the perineum. Although he hasn’t studied use of the noseless saddles in women, he said he believes women would benefit as well. 
 
 “If you don’t put weight there,” he said, “there’s no pressure.” ||||| INTRODUCTION: 
 
 Cycling is associated with genital neuropathies and erectile dysfunction in males. Women riders also have decreased genital sensation; however, sparse information exists addressing the effects of modifiable risks on neurological injuries in females. 
 
 AIM: 
 
 This study assesses the effects of bicycle setup and cyclists' attributes on GS and saddle pressures among female cyclists. 
 
 METHODS: 
 
 Previously, we compared genital sensation in competitive female cyclists (N = 48) to that of female runners (N = 22). The current study is a subanalysis of the 48 cyclists from the original study group. Nonpregnant, premenopausal women who rode at least 10 miles per week, 4 weeks per month were eligible for participation. 
 
 MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 
 
 Genital sensation was measured in microns using biosthesiometry measures of vibratory thresholds (VTs). Perineal and total saddle pressures were determined using a specialized pressure map and recorded in kilopascals (kPA). 
 
 RESULTS: 
 
 Handlebars positioned lower than the saddle correlated with increased perineum saddle pressures and decreased anterior vaginal and left labial genital sensation (P < 0.05, P < 0.02, P < 0.03, respectively). Low handlebars were not associated with total saddle pressures or altered genital sensation in other areas. After adjusting for age and saddle type, low handlebars were associated with a 3.47-kPA increase in mean perineum saddle pressures (P < 0.04) and a 0.86-micron increase in anterior vagina VT (P < 0.01). 
 
 CONCLUSION: 
 
 Handlebars positioned lower than the saddle were significantly associated with increased perineum saddle pressures and decreased genital sensation in female cyclists. Modifying bicycle setup may help alleviate neuropathies in females. Additional research is warranted to further assess the extent of the associations. 
 
 © 2012 International Society for Sexual Medicine.
– Previous studies have shown that riding a bicycle regularly can take take a toll on men's sexual health, and new research from Yale suggests the same holds true for women, reports the New York Times. The one stand-out finding: the lower the handlebars, the greater the trouble. If a woman has to lean forward more to reach low handlebars, that means she's putting more pressure in sensitive areas, which can lead to numbness. “We’re basically showing that there may be modifiable risk factors associated with female riders,” says a female Yale professor who co-wrote the study. “This better positions us to educate riders on safe riding practices that may actually be beneficial to reduction of pressure and lost sensation in the pelvic floor.” The study, which looked at about 50 women who rode at least 10 miles a week, is online here.