Urologist Can cycling really trigger impotence?

Can cycling make you impotent? Doctors give answers!
Warm temperatures currently lure you back on the bike. Whether regularly to work or weekend as a family outing: Almost every German used now and then the bike. However, many men know the problem that after prolonged tours the genitals fall asleep. However, such temporary numbness does not harm masculinity, according to the Uro GmbH Nordrhein, an association of established urologists.

Cycling can not make you impotent - but essential things have to be considered! (Image: Robert Kneschke / fotolia.com)

"These numbness after prolonged biking on hard saddles caused by a trapped pelvic nerve," explains urologist Dr. med. Reinhold Schaefer of the Uro-GmbH North Rhine. "If the tingling sensation is ignored, it feels paralyzed." However, this is not a real problem, because these symptoms usually disappear after relieving the nerve. Even those who already have problems with the prostate gland can safely pedal. At least if you observe a few, few rules. For men, soft-sprung saddles are generally recommended in the genital area. In addition, make breaks during longer tours, so that the heat produced during cycling disappears in the pelvic area.

Also prefer to drive in smaller gears, that reduces the pressure between genitals and saddle. The best way to buy a wide leather saddle, which is rubbed from below with leather fat and a night in the oven at 50 ° C heated. Mount the still warm saddle on the bike and drive at least 20 km. Then the saddle has adopted the ideal body shape of the driver and you never have problems again.

Sometimes, however, urologists recommend their patients to abstain from cycling for a short time. This is usually associated with impending blood sampling to determine PSA, an important parameter for the early detection of prostate disease. The PSA level in the blood rises in the short term due to cycling and distorts the result. "Cycling counts among the healthiest sports ever and trains almost all muscle groups," concludes Dr. Shepherd. "It is by no means impotent." (Sb, pm)