A serious issue facing female cyclists, another example of male anatomy being the default!

[NigelYerABawbag]

‘I had a huge swelling’: why my life as a female cyclist led to vulva surgery

Here - vulval swelling, pain, and damage caused by saddles.

It sounds horrific and a real issue for female cyclists.

You can buy saddles designed with female anatomy in mind but be aware any male cyclist will tell you it's not a bed of roses for them either. The standard bike design isn't comfortable on the genital area! Gel saddles are so much more comfortable

Saddles (and the right combination of shorts, pad, chamois cream) are a massive issue for all cyclists. I've had 8 or more saddles in my quest for comfort, but my DH has had even more.

Try and get a ladies cycling top with room for you to have norks though - thats a real challenge! Only Fat Lad at the Back seem to manage curves

I dunno, I feel sorry for dudes as well. That can't be comfortable in the pod department.

This isn't a female problem, it's a cyclist problem.

It's not necessary to try and find some feminist issue in every article in the press

Really interesting article and comments, many thanks for posting the link. My current issue as a menopausal cyclist is recurrent UTIs which I suspect are exacerbated by cycling - does anyone have any advice? I ride with a well worn in Brooks leather saddle.

@Boiledeggandtoast

Most likely related to what you wear/chamois cream etc if cycling related I'd expect?

I went on a 10 mile bike ride yesterday with a saddle for big bottoms as have problems with my coccyx. Coccyx is fine but my vulva and the top of my inner thighs feel bruised.
I don't cycle often-once a week or so-and can't afford to try lots of different saddles and I'd never wear shorts. I'd be arrested

I can't imagine blokes have much of a better time though. All that stuffed Lycra is traumatic to see so maybe they deserve the discomfort

Thanks for your comments ABC1234DEF. It's only been an issue since the menopause so I guess it's probably as much hormonal as cycling itself.

You need one of these to save your nethers...

Why did my picture not post

I recommend the Selle Italia Diva saddle to every woman I meet on a bike. Don’t get me wrong, you can still tell when you’ve had a long day on it but I used to suffer dreadfully before I found this one.

I feel the pain. My DP is an avid 100 miles plus a week man. I did 200 miles in my first year and only 8 last year, as I couldn't bear the pain of my foo foo hurting.
I've bought new padded ladies shorts for this year and hope it'll do the trick.
I once was in tears as I cycled in the rain, through gritted teeth, with a wad of toilet paper stuffed on my foo foo to soften the pain.....it was interesting, picking it out 😂

I cycle a lot, and do audaxes sportives and time trials. There is no need for any woman to get vulval pain. Buy a female specific cut out saddle. There are loads of them on the market, plus get decent cycling shorts with a chamoix. I have a mix of saddles for my different bikes but all have a cut away.

You can get padded pants for inside your clothing

Oh and BC team were advised not to shave the area at all to prevent infections - read this within the last two years

Men can have a problem with erectile dysfunction due to prolonged cycling. Moving your bits around isn't that easy when cycling. I very rarely get sore now, but do love my Raphe cycling shorts, best female chamois I've tried. Pricy but they have a lot of sales. I wouldn't cycle more than 5 miles unless I'm wearing padded shorts/ tights.

I wear padded shorts for anything over 15 miles. I have a female-specific saddle a d it's always been ok.

However a couple of weeks ago I invested in some loose cycling shorts with removable padded knickers. Not cheap but worth it I hoped...... within 10 miles i was in agony. I've got chafing inside my labia.

I've now gone back to my cheap padded shorts which are so much better. I'm off on a cycling holiday next week where I'll be averaging 50 miles every day. The expensive shorts and knickers wont be coming with me!

Oh and dh has similar problems with his saddle so not just a womens issue

Boiledeggandtoast - HRT does help with this.

I am a former competitive amateur cyclist, just for fun now on occasion, but as others have pointed out this is definitely not a unique to women issue. Especially as you need to put in long hours to be competitive. Men I know deal with the numbness, sores, and possible risk of erectile dysfunction, etc.

I use female specific saddles (with cut outs), padded shorts for anything over 5 miles (also female specific), and chamois/anti-chafing creams and together that helps tremendously.

People who don’t cycle often think the answer is a big gel seat but that is not only heavy for competition and does not allow proper positioning/leverage when needed, but can cause even more problems - the “lack” of design is a bit of problem for causing sores, numbness etc.

In the article Hannah says she didn't use chamois cream (the thought makes me wince) and didn't go to the doctors for a long time. It may also be an issue that as a paracyclist she doesn't get out of the saddle as much and might be slightly wonky in the saddle which will also not help - certainly as a cyclist with an upper limb disability I am twisted round and get more rub on one side than the other.

Positioning for road cyclists has been down for a long time, so it really isn't anything new, though old fashioned leather saddles do eventually break in to conform more to your shape

"This isn't a female problem, it's a cyclist problem. "

Dear Lord, the OP is about a woman having to have surgery on her vulva because of her bike, and you think it's not a female problem??!

Have you done any long bike rides?

There are lots and lots of issues relating to cycling and women, such as the fact that men are physically stronger and are more likely to take dominant positions on the road, whereas women often get run over by left-turning trucks and such like.

Specifically on this issue:

lovelybike.blogspot.com/2011/04/on-female-anatomy-and-bicycle-saddles.html

"In the lead up to London 2012 [Olympics], with the UK Institute of Sport, we developed a special saddle for Victoria Pendleton, who had been suffering from saddle issues that were having a negative impact on her performance. After the Games, we wondered how big a problem it was and whether we had only uncovered the tip of the iceberg. We put together a team and decided to interview riders as part of a qualitative study. The findings were staggering, 100% of the riders we interviewed were having problems but, with a male doctor, physio and predominately male coaching staff, didn’t feel comfortable in mentioning it."

www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/sensitive_issues.pdf

As noted in the first article, they came out with a new saddle to address the fact of 100% of Olympic female cyclists suffering genital pain, but it didn't solve the problem.

Male cyclists do not face remotely the same issues because men are not sitting on their genitals when cycling.

@FeministCat can you recommend a saddle please? Mine is well padded but wide. Too wide I think. It was marketed as a big bottom saddle. I don't have a big bum but my then Bf bought it me as he thought it would be the most comfortable.