Well, this is a question we get asked more often than you’d believe, especially by newbie cyclists worried about the impact of cycling on their crown jewels. But will cycling really make you impotent? Will it have any impact on your sex life, somewhere down the road…?
Seriously, can cycling screw up a man’s sex life? It’s definitely an issue for some, with some even taking the decision to steer clear of the two-wheeled monster in order to preserve their manlihood.
But let’s cut to the chase. We’ve mentioned it before, but cycling, as has been scientifically proven, is good for your sex life, for so many reasons. Impotence is definitely in the back of the minds of many would-be cyclist males, but we’re betting that’s all down to some old misconceptions – and even a fabled 1997 Bicycling magazine article.
In that article, famed urologist Irwin Goldstein said that if you cycled for a long time, you are likely to apply high pressure on the perineum, located between the genitals and anus. Because this specific area is crammed full of nerves and blood vessels, that excessive pressure can cause damage to some of the nerves, while also having some impact on the blood flow in that area. Hence the possibility of impotence.
But there’s been no real verification of these facts over the years. Of course, any of us sitting in the saddle for a long period of time are likely to experience a certain discomfort, even for the ladies out there, but that’s generally the extent of the problem. Yes, we can repeat, you might experience a bit of numbness, but that’s about it. No reason to fear the big I.
And the big question you might be asking yourselves – aren’t the overall benefits of getting out on the bike (or, of course, on your stationary bike stand at home!) worth the slight discomfort and numbed nether regions? Just think of all those healthy benefits you can get from cycling, especially all that cardio goodness…
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