Hammer

Erection problems from Cycling?

Ted asked:

I noticed a few months ago that I began having a bit of a problem getting an erection. This hasn't happened to me in the past and I am concerned. One of the guys in my group ride suggested that it could be my saddle.

Is this a common problem? Is there a saddle that will be better than others? Obviously this is a big deal to me so any help you can give is appreciated and I will be grateful if you can point me in the right direction.

Our Answer

Ted, thanks for the question and we understand as this would be a big problem for almost any male. It would be difficult for me, and I won't even try, to diagnose your issue with the information you provided and I am certainly no doctor. The first thing I would do if I were you is visit your doctor and see what they have to say.

You neglected to give us enough information to give you much more advice than that as you didn't mention your age or anything going on in your life that might also be the culprit so we will have to make some assumptions that you are otherwise healthy.

A common side effect of cycling can be issues in the perineum or the groin. Cycling can affect the blood flow through some rather large veins in the groin area. I suffered from this issue for a while before I found a saddle that worked for me. I never had erectile issues but I did suffer from numbness in my groin after riding. Many saddles offer an anatomical cutout in the groin area that is designed to relieve pressure on these veins.

It's tricky though as even some saddles with this cutout didn't work for me, so some are designed better than others. The saddle that worked for me was a Specialized Alias and I also have experience with the Selle Italia Max Flite on one of my other road bikes. Both of these saddles worked well for me and the numbness stopped immediately. Some riders have also reported great results with one of the "nose-less" saddles like the Ergo seat. I think it probably depends on how severe your condition is and your personal preferences as to how you proceed.

Good luck and don't forget to visit the doctor.

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4 Comments »

kansasjayhawk rated this:

ha ha rotflmao sry man but thats hilarious idk take medicine

# 20 July 2009 at 1:50 pm

redbeardthegiant rated this:

See your doc !
It is entirely possible that your saddle is the problem, maybe repositioning it can help.
But do not delay; you do NOT want to cause nerve damage.
I found an Avenir Gel-Flex to be the best saddle I had ever used, then I switched to a recumbent.
Of course, if you have started taking any medications in this time frame they could be at fault.

# 20 July 2009 at 9:03 pm

fidgit rated this:

I get erections riding a bus or driving long distance in my car. I just put up with it and concentrate on what I am supposed to be doing. As we move forward with our ride, the concentration will subside. No one is going to see it, unless we are obvious about it.

# 22 July 2009 at 2:22 pm

eagles7man rated this:

Do you have the seat that has a cut out for your prostate/ I was a long distance rider and it can be very hard on your prostate sitting on that little seat all the time. Go buy a new seat with the cut out and I would massage your prostate and see if that helps.

# 23 July 2009 at 9:27 am