Taking your bicycle out for a spin is a healthy, fun way to stay in shape, go exploring, and get active. Whether you’re biking to work or just enjoying a relaxing Saturday ride, biking is the perfect balance of fun and healthy. But biking can lead to problems for some men. In fact, if you bike too much, you may find your erection paying the price.
That’s not to say that the act of biking is problematic for your erection. In actuality, it’s the kind of bike you ride that can lead to erectile health issues.
You see, biking depends upon you putting all your weight on the perineum, which is the scientific term for the area between the scrotum and the anus.. This area of the body contains a bundle of muscles, arteries, and nerves that all ultimately lead to the penis, and are vital for erections.
When you sit on a hard, unforgiving seat, you are putting stress on a very vulnerable part of the body. If you bike constantly, that’s constant pressure on an area of the body that your erections depend upon. If your bike has a hard, narrow saddle seat, you could be doing long-lasting damage to your erection just be biking daily.
Even if you don’t bike that much, you could still be at risk. A study found that erectile dysfunction risk was highest among men who cycled three hours or more a week.
That’s not to say you need to cut biking out of your life to save your erection. Simply invest in a better seat. A soft seat that conforms to your body will make for a comfier ride, and will relive the perineum of unnecessary stress.