Cycling Make Men Infertile?

[maydog]

Whooooosh.....

In all seriousness, if cycling is putting pressure on said areas - you have some serious fit or saddle issues.

Instead, cycling can put pressure on the perineum and the underlying nerves and blood vessels. This can lead to numbness. I used the experience this myself, its a pretty scary sensation or lack thereof but it is temporary only lasting a minute or two after uloading the area. I corrected the problem by finding a better fitting saddle, changing my bike fit (more seat tilt and more handlebar drop), pushing on the pedals harder and loosing a bit of weight. It still happens once in a blue moon if I am riding on the rivet for a long time.

There is some speculation that repeated pressure can damage the structures under the perineum and lead to impotence (ED). This would not lead to infertility however.

 

[Sunflogun]

So this thread has taken a crazy turn! I feel that with the proper seat and shorts, if we don't spend crazy hours on the bike we will be fine, that is why so many people cycle and consider it an healthy sport.

 

[Bonzer]

Yes, it's a bitter truth the professional cyclists have to live with. Here is the link Cycling related impotence. It's a good idea to take frequent breaks and cool off the private area. However, it does not bother sterilized dads, I suppose. psst

 

[Sunflogun]

I am not seeing the pros making frequent stops haha, that would ruin their game. I do agree that so many hours are excessive and that everything that's excessive damage our health.

 

[ABNPFDR]

Back in the 70s and 80s when little was known about saddle design, it's arguable that a connection existed between impotence/infertility and cycling. Increased pressure = restricted blood flow = trouble in the bedroom. I don't know if enough real studies were ever done to prove the idea but logically it makes sense at least.

But then we started to learn a heck of a lot more about bike fit and comfort and saddles were completely changed.

I did a lot of cycling/racing/triathlons on saddles from the 80s that were of very poor design compared to what's out there today and I have 4 kids and no history of ED. I cycle now just as much as back then and have even less discomfort than I did back then and have... no problems in the bedroom other than I'm exhausted and after 21 years of having sex with my wife, I'm just not into it as much.

A bulk of your weight should put pressure on the SIT bones, which keeps the blood flowing to the softer tissues in front.

 

[Sunflogun]

Now you are mentioning a valuable point ABN, saddle design and shorts make all the difference, meaning, with a good seat and shorts we are way more protected that we used to.

 

[Bonzer]

Back in the 70s and 80s when little was known about saddle design, it's arguable that a connection existed between impotence/infertility and cycling. Increased pressure = restricted blood flow = trouble in the bedroom. I don't know if enough real studies were ever done to prove the idea but logically it makes sense at least.

But then we started to learn a heck of a lot more about bike fit and comfort and saddles were completely changed.

I did a lot of cycling/racing/triathlons on saddles from the 80s that were of very poor design compared to what's out there today and I have 4 kids and no history of ED. I cycle now just as much as back then and have even less discomfort than I did back then and have... no problems in the bedroom other than I'm exhausted and after 21 years of having sex with my wife, I'm just not into it as much.

A bulk of your weight should put pressure on the SIT bones, which keeps the blood flowing to the softer tissues in front.

You might have still ridden those vintage bikes for a limited time and stopped it once you reached your destination. 15 to 20 minutes is fine with intermediate breaks. But riding non-stop for hours puts a heavy stress on the arteries supplying blood to the private area and the associated heat would only make things worse for a professional biker.

 

[swampy1970]

I tried describing an ISM saddle to a female coworker who mainly runs but sometimes bike. Her first reaction was "that sounds like a butt plug."

My first retort was a non-work safe "I sit on my saddle most days, how often do you sit on your butt plug?"

After much laughing, I pulled up a pic of my ISM saddle, which if you're having woes with the family jewels, is a great saddle to have, and she finally got what I meant.

ISM Attack for teh win.

 

[Corzhens]

I have heard of this myth when I was in high school and starting to learn how to ride a bike. In those times, you seldom see a girl ride a bicycle because only the boys have the ability for that. There were bikes for rent in our place and when I rent a bike, my usual companions would be the boys in our neighborhood. With my associations, those boys were scared that they might be sterile due to excessive biking.

 

[Sunflogun]

I really don't know if I would call it a myth, but in fact I don't see anyone worried about it. What causes impotence or even prostate cancer is hardly ever associated with biking. Not that people discuss this in public.