Q: I have a question about biking and female genitalia. I’m a woman in my 40s, and I love biking! My husband and I often go for long rides on the weekend. Unfortunately, this makes various parts of my crotch sore, especially the clitoris. Certain bike seats are better, but none eliminate the soreness. Two years ago, we had a baby, which not only made my crotch more prone to soreness but makes it a lot less likely that we’ll have sex except on weekends, often after biking. The sore clit makes sex more painful, but it also increases sensitivity, so the whole thing can be an alternating experience of “Ow!” and “Wow!” Am I causing my clit any permanent damage by the biking and/or the postbike poking? Any suggestions for decreasing crotch soreness? —Bike Related Injury To Clit; Help Ease Soreness
To decrease your risk of un-fun genital symptoms, BRITCHES, Dr. Herbenick recommends mixing it up.
Dr. Herbenick recommends seeing a “true vulvovaginal health expert” (TVHE) about your problem, VULVA, and your gynecologist presumably qualifies as a TVHE… right?
“There are many different forms of bacterial vaginosis (BV) and different kinds of yeast infections,” said Herbenick. “These different kinds respond well to different kinds of treatment, which is one reason home yeast meds don’t work well for many women. And all too often, health care providers don’t have sufficient training to make fine-tuned diagnoses and end up treating the wrong thing. But if VULVA’s recurrences are frequent, I think it’s a wise idea for her to see a true specialist.”
