Cyclists told to stand on pedals to avoid erectile dysfunction after Wroclaw Medical University study

Keen cyclists have to contend with many hazards on the roads, but men may have more to worry about than keeping out of the way of traffic.

Male cyclists should consider standing on the pedals every 10 minutes to avoid problems in the bedroom, scientists say.

Researchers warn it is “critical” that men avoid crushing their private parts on the saddle because there could be a link between numbness in that area and erectile dysfunction.

After reviewing 22 studies on how men can avoid saddle soreness, they have described the best solutions, which include using a “no-nose” bicycle seat without the narrower part at the front to redirect pressure from the genital area.

The review by Wroclaw Medical University in Poland, published in the journal Sports Medicine, notes common causes of genital numbness in male cyclists can also be poor riding technique and the wrong type of bike.

Dr Ippokratis Sarris, a consultant in reproductive medicine and director of King’s Fertility, said: ‘There is a suggestion that nerve damage from the pressure of cycling can cause loss of sensation and problems with erections, and cycling is linked to infertility, but much more research is needed”

But it seems many cyclists needn’t worry about their performance in the bedroom, since experts recently told how modern couples had no time for sex anyway.

Charles Kingsland, chief medical officer at clinic group Care Fertility told how it was being seen as “another chore” for many couples.

“People are having half as much sex as they did 30 years ago,” he said.

“We have this culture where we talk about sex all the time on television and in magazines, but we don’t do it,” he said.

“People don’t make the time because they are too busy and too tired – they have a poor work-life balance and sex starts to seem like another chore. There is no doubt emails and work competing for our attention.

“Couples I see now have very different expectations of what a healthy sex life is.

“I have been concerned for a long time that they’re too busy to have the amount of sex compatible with having a baby, so potentially hundreds are turning to fertility treatment.”