THE FACTS For several years, scientists have known that traditional bicycle seats can cause sexual dysfunction in men. Although female cyclists had not been studied directly, it was widely assumed that they, too, could suffer that fate.

But that may not be the case. For the first time, a study this month looked at avid female cyclists and found that bike seats may affect them differently. Like male riders, many women in the study experienced tingling, pain and decreased genital sensation. But they did not show symptoms of impaired sexual function, possibly reflecting a lower susceptibility to sexual side effects than men.

The study, published in the journal Sexual Medicine, looked at 48 healthy, premenopausal cyclists who biked about three to four days a week for two hours at a time, then compared them with 22 runners.

In men, traditional bike seats compress an artery and nerve that supply the genitals with blood and sensation, increasing the risk of impotence over time. Because the same artery and nerve are crucial to sexual function in women, assumptions about female cyclists are often extrapolated from studies on men.

But Dr. Marsha K. Guess, an assistant professor at Yale medical school and the lead author of the new study, said female cyclists may benefit from anatomical differences that produce less compression. She also stressed the possibility that sexual side effects in female cyclists might be noticeable only in longer-term studies.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com

If you are an unusually restless sleeper, don’t assume that it’s just a case of insomnia and it will eventually go away by itself. What you have may be a condition requiring more critical care, such as obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension.

Obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension are similar in that both obstruct the normal flow of oxygen to the brain. Both may occur in your sleeping hours and may mean anything from an irritating lack of comfort during sleep to a threat to your life.

Obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension may also share similar symptoms, including:

• Difficulty breathing
• Gasping for air, snoring, or choking during sleep
• Breaking out in sweat and waking up in the middle of the night
• Feeling very tired in the morning
• A dry mouth, headache, or painful throat in the morning
• Depressed feelings and a change in your personality

Both medical conditions ARE treatable, but they can also grow progressively worse if left untreated. So consult your doctor if you notice any of the above symptoms.

To interact with other people who have your condition and have learned how (or are trying) to deal with it, check out the A.P.N.E.A. NET Forum (no longer at its old website but transferred to the board called “apneanet” at http://www.apneasupport.org).

If you are an unusually restless sleeper, don’t assume that it’s just a case of insomnia and it will eventually go away by itself. What you have may be a condition requiring more critical care, such as obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension.

Obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension are similar in that both obstruct the normal flow of oxygen to the brain. Both may occur in your sleeping hours and may mean anything from an irritating lack of comfort during sleep to a threat to your life.

Obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension may also share similar symptoms, including:

• Difficulty breathing
• Gasping for air, snoring, or choking during sleep
• Breaking out in sweat and waking up in the middle of the night
• Feeling very tired in the morning
• A dry mouth, headache, or painful throat in the morning
• Depressed feelings and a change in your personality

Both medical conditions ARE treatable, but they can also grow progressively worse if left untreated. So consult your doctor if you notice any of the above symptoms.

To interact with other people who have your condition and have learned how (or are trying) to deal with it, check out the A.P.N.E.A. NET Forum (no longer at its old website but transferred to the board called “apneanet” at http://www.apneasupport.org).

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is almost twice as common in men with symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB) as it is in men without OAB, according to data released here at the 36th Annual Meeting of the International Continence Society (ICS).

In addition, the study showed that men with OAB were just as likely to develop ED as men with diabetes or hypertension, reported Debra E. Irwin, MSPH, PhD, professor of epidemiology, University of North Carolina School of Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Dr. Irwin and colleagues examined the relationship between OAB symptoms and ED in men 50 years of age or older who were enrolled in the ongoing EPIC study, the first multinational, cross-sectional, population-based evaluation of the prevalence and burden of OAB in adults.

For the present analysis, 502 men 50 years of age or older from Sweden, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Canada who had OAB symptoms and a random group of 502 matched controls without OAB symptoms participated in telephone interviews.

The presence of overactive bladder and urinary incontinence (UI) was established based on 2002 ICS definitions, and ED was measured using a single question from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study.

Source:http://www.docguide.com