Journal of Andrology
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Journal of Andrology, Vol. 23, No. 6, November/December 2002
Copyright © American Society of Andrology

Perspectives and Editorials

Response to Commentaries

Brian D. Lowe, Steven M. Schrader, Michael J. Breitenstein, John C. Clark and Terry W. Turner

Schrader SM, Breitenstein MJ, Clark JC, Lowe BD, Turner TW. Nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity testing of bicycle patrol officers. J Androl.2002 ;23:927–934.[Abstract/Free Full Text]


We wish to thank Drs Brock and Goldstein for their commentaries on our study of nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity testing of a police bicycle patrol unit. The effect of bicycling on male sexual function is a health issue that affects recreational and sport cyclists in addition to those for whom bicycling is an integral part of their occupation. Police patrol cycling is only one example of occupational bicycle use, but it is an important one. There are more than 2000 police bicycle units in the United States that average 9 officers each (International Police Mountain Bike Association, http://www.ipmba.org/fact-sheet.htm). Because police patrol officers often spend the majority of their workday "in the saddle" (5.4 hours per day was reported in our study), they are hypothesized to be at greater risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) from chronic perineal compression by the bicycle saddle than recreational/sport cyclists, if a relationship between chronic perineal compression and ED exists.

Dr Goldstein's supportive commentary is appreciated. While we concur with Dr Goldstein that narrow saddles with protruding "noses" appear to result in greater pressure on the perineum, more research is needed before definitive statements can be made regarding the relative risk of impaired sexual function attributable to the use of specific saddle designs. However, the myriad number of new bicycle saddle designs available to cyclists suggests that saddle manufacturers are aware of problems with the traditional bicycle saddle design.

Dr Brock's primary criticism of our study appears to stem from the self-selective nature of our participant recruitment, which he indicates may exaggerate the prevalence of ED among general cyclists. This criticism is unwarranted, because our study focused on a specific occupational group, a bicycle police patrol unit, and the study was not intended to make inferences regarding the prevalence of ED in the general cycling population. In addition, we believe correlations between both time in the saddle and saddle nose pressure with the percentage of sleep time with an erection would not be exaggerated by participant self-selection. We believe that the relationship between bicycle saddle usage and male sexual function is mediated by a host of variables that include the weight and anthropometrics of the cyclist, the saddle design and cushion material properties, the geometry of the bicycle and its fit to the cyclist, the type of cycling, etc. We concur with Dr Brock that large randomized cohort studies are needed to examine the influence of these variables on ED.





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