Bicycling Can Hurt Women's Sexual Health

Previous studies have shown that riding a bicycle regularly can take take a toll on men's sexual health, and new research from Yale suggests the same holds true for women, reports the New York Times. The one stand-out finding: the lower the handlebars, the greater the trouble. If a woman has to lean forward more to reach low handlebars, that means she's putting more pressure in sensitive areas, which can lead to numbness.

“We’re basically showing that there may be modifiable risk factors associated with female riders,” says a female Yale professor who co-wrote the study. “This better positions us to educate riders on safe riding practices that may actually be beneficial to reduction of pressure and lost sensation in the pelvic floor.” The study, which looked at about 50 women who rode at least 10 miles a week, is online here. (More women's health stories.)