Saddle Health Screening

Breaking taboo & raising awareness.

Saddle health and pelvic stability are key to enhance your comfort & performance!

Your Saddle Health Screening

Every cyclist (male or female) is unique!

During this online screening we will ask you some - sometimes intimate - questions in order to provide you personalised advice!

Your body, Your ride!

Long hours in the saddle can lead to saddle soreness and other intimate discomforts.

Your skin, genitals, bones (pubic bone, sit bones, tailbone), pelvic floor, and even your blood and lymphatic vessels and nerves are all under significant pressure during cycling.

Through this screening, we aim to better understand your specific concerns and provide you with more tailored advice and helpful tips to improve your riding experience.

Your answers will be reviewed solely by Hedwig Neels, a pelvic health expert.

Rest assured, none of your personal responses will be shared with your team, colleagues, or researchers unless you explicitly request it.

Professional or recreational cycling

Are you a professional cyclist?

Yes

Team info

Team: which team do you cycle for?

Please specify an answer

Extra info:

Please specify an answer

Recreational rider's info

Nationality

Please specify an answer

Team / club: are you member of a cycling / sports club? Which one?

Please specify an answer

Extra info:

Please specify an answer

Personal information

Your age? How old are you?

Leeftijd is geen geldig getal

Your gender

Male

Female

Personal woman specific information

We ask you some really personal questions, we know! But remember, we're aiming to provide better support & handle your answers with care.

Would you rather describe your labia as: ‘Innies' OR ‘Outies'?

Innies: the inner labia are small and covered by the outer labia

Outies: the inner labia are larger and are not covered by the outer labia

I don't know

Please confirm again, which pictures look the most familiar to you. Innies? Or Outies?

Innies (in stand)

Outies (in stand)

Innies (vulva view)

Outies (vulva view)

Add comment about your vulva (not required)

Please specify an answer

Personal information

How tall are you?

Lengte is geen geldig getal

Your lenght in centimeters

How much do you weigh?

Gewicht is geen geldig getal

Your weight in kg

CYCLING INTENSITY & PERFORMANCE

In this part we ask a few questions about your cycling intensity and performance during the last month

2min

Cycling hours

How many hours did you spend in the saddle per week during last month?

Lengte is geen geldig getal

mean hours/week

How many hours did you spend to core stability training / stretching / powertraining per week last month?

Lengte is geen geldig getal

mean hours/week

Saddle(s)

Did you ride on different saddles/bikes?

Yes

How many different saddles/bikes did you ride?

Leeftijd is geen geldig getal

If you can/want, describe which saddles or types

Please specify an answer

Cycling Styles

Think about the approximate percentage (%) of time you spent engaging in various cycling styles over the past month

Road cycling:

0 100

Time Trial:

0 100

Indoor Rollers:

0 100

Track cycling:

0 100

Mountainbike:

0 100

Other (cyclocross, gravel, ...):

0 100

Cycling intensity

How much did you ride over the past month, compared to your normal cycling habits?

Less then normal

Normal

More then normal

Excessive more then normal. Intense training period

Intensity and performance

Please feel free to share any (additional) comments about your training intensity and performance (eg why it was so different then normal). The more we know the better we can support your personal needs...

Add comment here

Please specify an answer

IMPACT

In this part we ask a few (extra) questions about the impact of saddle complaints on your daily life, performance, body image and sexual life

2min

Comfort during your rides

Rate your ability to ride comfortably over this past month.

Very comfortable

Moderate discomfort/pain

severe discomfort/pain

Unable to ride

Impact on Performance

Over the last month, how much have your saddle sores (or other cycling related intimate complaints) made it difficult for you to do your sport/job?

Not at all

A little

A lot

Very much

Impact on intensity and performance

If changes in types of training & intensity were due to saddle soreness or other intimate complaints.

Please feel free to inform us, how it made you feel, how it impacted you.

Add comment here

Please specify an answer

Impact on daily activities

This past month, how much discomfort do you experience after your rides with regular daily (lifestyle) activities? (ie, sitting, wearing pants, toileting)

None

Mild

Moderate

Severe

Impact on body image

Your potential complaints are common in many riders and we know that they often also impact your body image and mental health.

Over the last month, how embarrassed or insecure (negative body image) have you been because of your saddle sores or other cycling related intimate complaints?

None

Mild

Moderate

Severe

Impact on sexual activities

And ofcourse these complaints can also impact your sexual activities and pleasure.

This past month, how much discomfort did you experience after your rides with sexual activities? (during partner sexual activities or masturbation)

None

Mild

Moderate

Severe

COMPLAINTS

In this part we ask questions about your saddle soreness and other complaints (type, intensity & frequency)

2min

Duration

For how long was your ride comfortable/pain free?

comfortable for entire ride

mild discomfort that resolves quickly and am comfortable for the rest of the ride/comfortable for most of my ride

more then 60 min comfortable before pain/discomfort begins

less then 60 min and then pain/discomfort already begins

pain/discomfort immediately that lasts the entire ride

Type of complaints: skin irritation

Do you have had any complaints of skin irritation, nodules and wounds from this list? (Tick all that apply)

No discomfort

Superficial pimple / ingrown hair

Chaffeing / skin abraision

Raw looking skin or slightly open wound

Bleeding/Infected open wound

Deeper cycst / tender nodule

Third testicle / bikers nodule

Deep abscess that is infected / unable to tolerate any pressure

Type of complaints: Numbness

Numbness, decreased sensation or tingling down there can occur in both male and female rides.

Do you have had any complaints of numbness? (Tick all that apply)

No discomfort

Mild numbness / tingling in genitals that goes away quickly

Significant numbness / tingling in genitals lasting after the ride (longer than 10 min)

Decreased sensation during sexual activities after the ride

Type of complaints: swelling

Swelling can occur in both male and female riders.

Do you have any complaints of swelling in the groin / crotch / perineum / labia? (Tick all that apply)

No discomfort

Mild swelling that goes away quickly

Significant swelling lasting after the ride (longer than 10 min)

Cyclists vulva: enlarged outer labia

Third testicle / bikers nodule

Other complaints

Bladder/ Bowels and your reproductive organs matter. Please dare to break the taboo.

Did you experience any of these complaints during the last months? (tick all that apply)

No discomfort

Urinary leakage

Urinary Tract Infection (pain during peeing, bladder pain)

Difficulties to pee (retention)

Frequent urge to void

Vaginitis (itching, altered vaginal discharge)

Constipation

PREVENTION & TREATMENT

In this part we ask questions about prevention and treatment you might have used.

2min

Prevention & Treatment

Every rider is unique, whatever you tried or used can also improve our support for you

If applicable, add your comment(s) about how helpful these preventive measures were (during the last month) here

Please specify an answer

Did you also tried other things in the past or ever had surgery? Add your comment(s) here

Please specify an answer

Your intimate haircut

Did you groom or remove your pubic hair during the last month?

Yes

How?

Shaving with razor

Trimming

Waxing

Electrolysis

Laser removal

Hair removal cream

Do you think it has affected your complaints? Do you want to share any info about it?

Please specify an answer

Your possibility to share extra info or photos

Do you want to share any extra info, please feel free to add it here. Even photos can be shared safely.

Please specify an answer

Drop your file here or click

Accepts png, jpeg, pdf

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Leaving your emailadres is not required, but please consider it! Especially if you filled in the screening as pro rider. You re answers are save. You will only receive one confirmation mail. No more.

Questions? Check your inbox, DM me or visit the website hedwigneels.com

First name

Please enter your first name

Last name

Please enter your last name

Email address

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I agree to the privacy and cookie policy

I agree that my results (without name or mailadres) can be used anonimously for scientific research about saddle health.

Breaking taboo & raising awareness.

Saddle health and pelvic stability are key to enhance your comfort & performance!

Your Saddle Health Screening

During this online screening we will ask you some - sometimes intimate - questions in order to provide you personalised advice!

Your body, Your ride!

Long hours in the saddle can lead to saddle soreness and other intimate discomforts.

Your skin, genitals, bones (pubic bone, sit bones, tailbone), pelvic floor, and even your blood and lymphatic vessels and nerves are all under significant pressure during cycling.

Through this screening, we aim to better understand your specific concerns and provide you with more tailored advice and helpful tips to improve your riding experience.

Your answers will be reviewed solely by Hedwig Neels, a pelvic health expert.

Rest assured, none of your personal responses will be shared with your team, colleagues, or researchers unless you explicitly request it.

Professional or recreational cycling

Team info

Recreational rider's info

Personal information

Personal woman specific information

Personal information

CYCLING INTENSITY & PERFORMANCE

In this part we ask a few questions about your cycling intensity and performance during the last month

2min

Cycling hours

Saddle(s)

Cycling Styles

Cycling intensity

Intensity and performance

IMPACT

In this part we ask a few (extra) questions about the impact of saddle complaints on your daily life, performance, body image and sexual life

2min

Comfort during your rides

Impact on Performance

Impact on intensity and performance

Impact on daily activities

Impact on body image

Impact on sexual activities

Impact and taboo

COMPLAINTS

In this part we ask questions about your saddle soreness and other complaints (type, intensity & frequency)

2min

Duration

Type of complaints: skin irritation

Type of complaints: Numbness

Numbness, decreased sensation or tingling down there can occur in both male and female rides.

Type of complaints: swelling

Swelling can occur in both male and female riders.

Other complaints

Bladder/ Bowels and your reproductive organs matter. Please dare to break the taboo.

PREVENTION & TREATMENT

In this part we ask questions about prevention and treatment you might have used.

2min

Prevention & Treatment

What did you use (during the last month) to relieve your pain?

Prevention & Treatment

Your intimate haircut

Your possibility to share extra info or photos

Yes, you made it! 🎉​

Leaving your emailadres is not required, but please consider it! Especially if you filled in the screening as pro rider. You re answers are save. You will only receive one confirmation mail. No more.

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