Women's cycling has gained popularity in recent years, and while the literature highlights numerous health benefits, including improved cardiovascular fitness and muscle endurance, certain training practices raise concerns about potential negative effects on pelvic health, particularly regarding sexual and urinary dysfunctions. Sexual dysfunction (SD) in female cyclists has been associated with various factors, including prolonged perineal compression, hormonal imbalances, and high training loads. Similarly, urinary incontinence (UI) may be influenced by repeated impact and sustained intra-abdominal pressure. Despite these concerns, Brazilian studies exploring the relationship between training volume and pelvic floor dysfunctions in female cyclists remain scarce.

To analyze the association between training volume and sexual and urinary dysfunctions in female cyclists.

This is a cross-sectional study approved by the Research Ethics Committee. All athletes provided informed consent before responding to the questionnaire, which was distributed online. Female cyclists aged 18 to 50 years, cycling for at least one year, training at least once a week, and sexually active (at least one sexual intercourse or sexual relations in the past four weeks) in the last four weeks were included — pregnant women, those with any previous pelvic surgery for prolapse and orthopedics. The questionnaires included training behavior variables (i.e. distance daily, Distance weekly, Frequency weekly, training hours per day, training intensity by borg scale), the presence of sexual dysfunction assessed by the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and urinary incontinence evaluated using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ). Descriptive data were used to identify prevalence, and Pearson’s test was applied to assess the correlation between training behavior and FSFI and ICIQ scores. Parametric descriptive data were presented as mean ± standard deviation. Correlation values, represented by R values within the range of 0.0–0.30, were considered weak; 0.31–0.50, mild; 0.51–0.70, moderate; 0.71–0.90, strong; and 0.91–1.0, excellent correlations. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software, version 26.0.

The study included 95 female cyclists. The average age of the athletes were 36.0 ± 8.6 years, with a cyclist time experience of 3.24 ± 1.81 years. The training intensity, assessed using the Borg Scale, was 14 points (almost exhausting). The prevalence of SD was 33.7% and UI among the women included in the study were 4.12%, with 12 women reporting "no awareness of urine loss," accounting for 13.7%. A positive and weak correlation was found between the weekly training volume and the FSFI questionnaire score (r = 0.210; p = 0.043).

Higher weekly training volumes are associated with better sexual function in female cyclists.

Further studies are needed to truly confirm that training long distances is not associated with dysfunctional pelvic floors.