Cycling or sex?

WHEN urologist Dr. Irwin Goldstein declared in 1997: "There are only

two kinds of male cyclists — those who are impotent and those who will

be impotent," many bike riders scoffed. Saying the equipment housed in

their spandex shorts worked just fine, they optimistically kept riding.

Several prominent urologists dismissed Goldstein's claims, saying that

they were based on a small sample of riders and that the cardiovascular

benefits of cycling outweighed any risk of impotence.



Ten

years later, more than two dozen published studies, including several

by Goldstein, have confirmed the connection between cycling and sexual

dysfunction. Problems can range from impotence — the complete inability

to penetrate — to an erection that doesn't last as long as desired.

If you manage to get past the hype, it becomes clear that this is not really a huge issue [sic].  It turns out that 4.2 % of cyclist experience some ED compared to 1.1% of runners.  Is that because there are more older cyclists?  Hard to say. Oops.



Ultimately the article suggests that the fancy-schmancy new ergonomic bike seats that claim to help reduce cycling related ED are snake oil.







The Cyclist's Tight Spot via :: LA Times

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