Tricks for keeping the 'bits' happy

[SpinSpinSugar]

The Girly Bits I mean! This season I have learned a few tricks for keeping my girly bits happy on the bike for long rides besides the normal stuff we all know like bike fit and tight shorts. I haven't seen some of these posted before so I thought I'd share what works for me. Hopefully this will help some of you too!:

#1 - most important - AZO UTI relief pills. Take 2-4 immediately before the ride, and take again if the ride is more than 4 hours long. Available over the counter at nearly any drug store, Target, Walmart, etc. It stops any pain/burning/etc before it even starts. I can't say enough how this has been a miracle for me.. http://www.azoproducts.com/products/azo_standard

#2 - AZO Yeast Tablets - Take 2 the day before the ride and again 2 the morning of - Preventative measures are the best cure - Available over the counter at most drug stores, Target, Walmart, etc. http://www.azoproducts.com/products/azo_yeast

#3 - Do not shave for at least 3 days before a ride. Even the panty-line. Helps prevent chafing

#4 - Tuck up! - yes, shove those bits as high up inside as you possibly can - nothing worse than "feeling the pinch"

#5 - Use the most dry, sticky lube you can find, and use it everywhere but the edges of the labia. (or else those bits will slide back out!)

Please feel free to add to this list ladies. I'd love to know how you stay comfortable in the saddle.

SpinSpinSugar

EDIT: Allow me to add that I have a lot of '''uummm''' soft tissue down there.. so this may not be helpful or necessary for everyone - but if you read this and go -"A-HA!" then you may be in the same well-endowed group that I am in..

[SpinSpinSugar]

This lube is sticky and dry.. "BodyGlide" http://www.rei.com/product/745879
Not slippery and messy like Chamois Butter or Butt Paste

[shootingstar]

Is all this advice for real?

Ok. I'm a woman. I bike alot.

But I've never had to do/try any of the above.

I have nothing to add. And I don't wear padded cycling shorts. Yep, probably not normal..but maybe I'm just lucky wierd.

I've been cycling nearly last 18 yrs. Many thousands of kms.

Believe me, my saddle is not in a wierd position.

[kermit]

+1 on shaving, learned that the hard way!

[SpinSpinSugar]

Is all this advice for real?

Ok. I'm a woman. I bike alot.

But I've never had to do/try any of the above.

I have nothing to add. And I don't wear padded cycling shorts. Yep, probably not normal..but maybe I'm just lucky wierd.

I've been cycling nearly last 18 yrs. Many thousands of kms.

Believe me, my saddle is not in a wierd position.

Yes, It's for real. Why would you respond like that?

Yes, I really do all of these things before I ride. No my saddle is not in a weird position, nor is my reach too far, or any other fit issue on this bike.

Considering the number of threads on this forum regarding pain and sores in that area many ladies deal with why would adding any more info be a bad thing?

SpinSpinSugar

[nscrbug]

Funny that you should mention the AZO pills...because after my last few rides, I've had really intense burning when I pee. But I just assumed it was because my girly parts were all inflamed and tender. Maybe I'll try this.

[OakLeaf]

I don't know that I'd take pyridium regularly.

Is it safe to numb your urinary tract when there's nothing wrong? If nothing else, it will stain your underwear and chamois that bright yellow.


nscr, that stuff is just an anesthetic. It doesn't cure infection, just keeps you from having to pee every three minutes. Try cranberry juice, and if that doesn't work and you want to try one more OTC remedy before going to the doctor, Cystex has an antimicrobial.

[SpinSpinSugar]

Burning and frequency of urination during and after a long ride was what prompted me to try the AZO. I even went to the DR and got tested for a UTI, Yeast infection, Bacterial Vaginosis, etc and it all came up negative. Cranberry juice and Cystex doesn't help because it's not a UTI - It's temporary inflammation of the Urethera opening and soft tissue, but it feels exactly like a UTI. The AZO works great to prevent that from happening.

But yes, it will make your pee bright orange, but it hasn't permanently stained anything so far. I don't take it daily.. only for rides that last longer than 2 hours or if it's very hot out and the sweat makes it harder to keep things from sliding around..

[shootingstar]

I don't know that I'd take pyridium regularly.

Is it safe to numb your urinary tract when there's nothing wrong? If nothing else, it will stain your underwear and chamois that bright yellow.


nscr, that stuff is just an anesthetic. It doesn't cure infection, just keeps you from having to pee every three minutes. Try cranberry juice, and if that doesn't work and you want to try one more OTC remedy before going to the doctor, Cystex has an antimicrobial.

I would be phoning my doctor-sister on this. Any drug is absorbed by the skin for a long period of time can't be always good.

For certain, I wouldn't be going on a long touring rides for several days/weeks by using such a drug often, without consulting a doctor. I still wouldn't. It doesn't sound right, an anaesthesia. Maybe look into different chamois for shorts, saddle type/adjustments. Takes time to look into the latter non-drug options.

Takes me awhile to find the right types of saddles whenever I buy a new bike. Or at least, I try alot of different saddle positions. I have 4 bikes.

[OakLeaf]

I'd be more inclined to try to prevent it with cranberry juice, probiotics, and general immune health. If you get inflammation every time you ride, something's not right.

There's nothing I take that regularly "without a second thought." That includes my calcium/magnesium supplement, which I do take daily, and find quite challenging to keep in balance. Honestly I'd rather take a prescription drug day in and day out than something OTC - at least I'd have some sort of medical supervision.

[SpinSpinSugar]

Ladies, allow me to clarify..

The AZO is not taken daily. It is for long rides (2-3 hrs plus) only.

I was checked for UTI, yeast, etc. it is not that - it is simple inflammation of the urethrea opening and soft tissue.

Chamios bunch, sweat happens, some ladies have more down there than others and it gets rubbed, pinched and chafed after a while no matter which saddle we use. I have experienced no ill effects from using the AZO, and it has kept me doing something I love... riding my bike.

[Kiwi Stoker]

I think the OP means other measures you can take APART from saddle and bike fit to avoid problems.

I mean that one day you can ride 100km and everything is OK and another day you ride it's not. And often it's due to OTHER factors, not your bike.

I also have to try other ways for reducing discomfort. When I ride stoker on the tandem you cannot shift yourself around or stand to coast as much as you can on a single- so I have to use other methods to reduce discomfort on some of my rides.

I would rub a bit of chamois cream onto the saddle. I find that having a bit of slip means the shorts etc don't catch and pinch. I found this out as chamois cream often sinks through the shorts and greases the saddle.

[SpinSpinSugar]

Yes, that is correct. Thank you for the clarification.. what can be done apart from the usual.

To answer your question Muirenn:

I've had a professional fit done - ended up changing my stem to a shorter/taller one so I'm not reaching so far and putting less pressure on the front. I use a Brooks B17 Imperial at the moment, but I have used many many different types - all with a large cutouts. (My sitbones measure 155 on the Specialized butt-oh-meter)

Saddles I've tried:

Specialized: Sonoma, Jett, Alias, Dolce, and one that does not have a model name that came on a bike that my friend gave me
2 different Bontrager models with cutouts (cant remember which models)
Terry: Butterfly, Butterfly Ti, Liberator, Butterfly Tri-Gel
Selle An-Atomica
Selle Italia Gel Flow
Brooks: B17, B67, B17 Imperial S, B17 Imperial mens (current saddle)
Serfas RX
Respiro Moderate Bike Saddle

The issue seems to be that I have a lot of tissue down there and no matter what I do or what saddle I use it ends up getting sweaty and eventually "untucks" and gets pinched and chafed. Tight shorts help, but eventually those too bunch up and get shoved up in there and the chafing begins. I have read many threads on this forum about women who have more down there than others (I am definitely one who falls into that category) and are having discomfort due to that extra tissue. (Since we can't just shove it aside like guys can) So that is why I posted what I do to work around this issue. I probably should have clarified that at the beginning.

SpinSpinSugar

[SpinSpinSugar]

Hi Muirenn, I do all my "tweaking" with a measuring tape and the measurements the fit professional gave me. -Actually I ended up lowering my saddle and raising my bars a few cm from what the fit recommended just to put myself back on my sit-bones even more. And I do tweak it often during the ride to keep myself in the comfort zone - usually into more of an upright/shorter reach position.

My Dr. is the one who approved the use of AZO for the discomfort (when I asked her about it) since all the tests for UTI/Yeast/BV came back negative. She also said that if the pain/burning lasted longer than 3 days after the ride then it should be looked at, but for temporary inflammation - 24 hours or less - that AZO was harmless but would stain my underwear.

SpinSpinSugar

[trista]

+1 on the tucking of the bits. I felt the pinch the other day and had to stop do to some readjusting. I felt like a man, grabbing my crotch, lol.

Something else I learned was to keep the hair, um, short. Nothing worse than a rogue hair.