gee, i thought I was the only one out there! phew, it isn't just me. I'm still working on it but have found thinner chamois work out less painful than thicker chamois. Have also tried putting vaseline on the irritated area prior to cycling (problem is it already exists so won't help the pain much)...am getting a bike re-fit done this week and will ask about seats...I'm guessing it's just a long process of trial and error - doh!! Look forward to any other replies....

Sorry guys, I don't have an answer for either of you. I just wanted to say that I hope you do find some relief to this because we don't want you to have to give up cycling. Good luck with it and if you do find a way past it, make sure you update and let us know!

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I know I'm promiscuous, but in a classy way

Hey,
Thanks for your replies D! and Cherelli,
Cherelli, hope the bike fit goes well-- let me know if you find anything that works. I'll try the vaseline...

D! Haha, yes... although at this point I think if not cycling isn't helping, I'm more likely to keep cycling... and hope that eventually I'll find a man who doesn't mind that I don't "look normal down there".

I think my issue is the result of past hair follicle infections in the same area - the result leaving a permanent lump which gets rubbed and unhappy when I cycle; I wish it was just scar tissue but given how easily it gets irritated I don't think it is... I had a doc at my immigration medical ask me about it and all I could say is "yep, the lumps seem to be the result of past infections"...at times though I almost feel like having some major (well I guess minor really )reconstruction surgery (aka cut it out!!) Will let you know how the bike fit /seat idea goes...maybe I'll ask my "alternative medicine friends" if they have any swelling reduction ideas too...

Check these saddles out. It helped a friend of mine. http://www.albabici.com/...lady/09-trk-lady.htm

There are many variations of padding and width, all with lots of room. I feel no pressure.

here's the link with all of the versions: http://www.albabici.com/selle/selle-smp-mp.htm

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OMG I have the same thing. I found less chammy/padding, keeping the taint clean and dry as much as possible, and believe it or not, waxing the area seemed to help for me (better than shaving or trimming).

Good luck!

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

ahhh...the joys of being a woman...and of being a female athlete.

not sure if I have the same/similar issue, or as severe, but here is what works for me...now mine comes and goes and sometimes is worse, so I think it has somewhat to do with the fact that sometimes the shorts just shift after going to the restroom at a stop on the ride, or the racing suit (swimsuit) just shifts or whatnot.

stay shaved
neosporin immediately after shaving; middle of summer actually clean with hydrogen peroxide
body glide on me and the pad (I go through ALOT of body glide in the summer; I also clean it with hydrogen peroxide after I "apply" it)
thinnest pad possible (I don't ride in cycling shorts...I have 2 pair and they are usually the, "o crap, the others are in the laundry" and I absolutely have NO CHOICE!)
I use a Specialized Taupe saddle..unisex..it fits me best

Shorts I use: descente sprint shorts, zoot and I have a couple pair of Louis Garneau, but mostly the descente & zoot.

good luck..

oh, I also will sometimes use the neosporin w/ the pain reliever in it when needed!

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Tiger for Life -- War Eagle!

Hi, long-time lurker here:

I have the same issues. I found that using a thinner chamois works. I have also found that layering two pairs of tri shorts works too. I think this works because the layers of fabric slide on one another, which reduces some of the friction in the nether regions.

I have never been able to fully alleviate this, though, and I have been through countless saddle/chamois combos. I've tried body glide, baby powder, chamois creme, etc. and the two pairs of shorts works the best. I can now comfortably get through about 70 miles before it starts to hurt.

One other thing I did, was to tilt the nose of my saddle ever-so-slightly down, which I think helped too.

Hey all,
Thanks for the replies! (Sorry I've been MIA-- exams-- yuk.)

B-Dub-- thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely try to find one of those saddles to try!

Cherelli and AndyPants-- Sorry to hear you're both having trouble as well...

Hi KT-tri and obvers,
Thanks very much for the suggestions.
Did you mean you're having the same problem as me? Or as cherelli and AndyPants?

I think for me it's not a friction issue, more of a "pressure" issue...

This is probably my No. 1 cycling issue. I have tried every saddle out there, but very few are designed with women in mind. The best saddles I have found so far at the ISM Adamo and the Blackwell Flow, both designed by John Cobb. The former relieves a lot of forward pressure, and the latter fits best both in terms of width (not too wide), length (not too long), and firmness. I still tend to have pressure on one side--i.e., the feeling that the labia are being crushed on one side while experiencing no problems on the other. I have arrived at the conclusion that remaining problems are down to my own anatomy. I put a couple of shims in my left show (on the problem side) to try and equal out my hip level. I have no scientific evidence to back it up, but based on a friend's own diagnosis I am convinced I have a slight pevlic tilt that cannot be corrected except through stretching and compensatory strength training. I have only been at the latter a short time but I find that the stronger my core and the more attention I pay to keeping the lower back properly aligned, the fewer problems I experience.

If you have the resources, get a really detailed bike fit, or get a chriopracter with sports medicine experience to check you out. And let me know what you discover!! I think this (women's specific fit issues) really needs to be addressed by the product providers out there.

So it's been a month...any solutions? ((honesty on it's way, careful...)) I have the exact problem, been riding forever, then early last year, got this infected bump, messed with it (squeezed it), had it removed, got a twin on the other side, had it removed, now one side is great, other side is very mad!! I have what looks like a blood blister in the shape (and size) of Texas!! Okay, it's only about a dime, but yikes! anyway, went to my gyno, b.c I am starting to get real worried b.c I can't sit on my bike more than 10 minutes w/o starting to tear and he gave it some name, gave me some antibiotics and now I am waiting! I am only on day 4 of 30, so as long as I don't get pregnant (b.c my pharmacist included 5 different info packets on how easy it is with this drug!), Im hoping it does it's job!

Anyway, was hoping you tried the not so cushy chamois. Seats... vaseline... I want to hear if any of it worked or am I gonna be selling my bike Sept 1 (I, like all ironman idiots, have signed up for Ironman Lousiville!) and will be DONE with biking if I have suffered the entire time!

Let me know PLEASE keep me touch!

PS yes, did the many seat thing...thought specialized jett was great, skinny nose, less rub, but I need something a little softer.

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One day, a saddle (and bike) will be my friend!!

Hi Lizz,
Well, since I last posted i still have the same bike saddle; i figure its a pretty good saddle so maybe some other methods would help before I splurge on another one only to find I have the same issues. The suggestion of keeping the area clean of hairs, applying a bit of vaseline pre-ride and using a lesser chamois bikepant combination is working for me to a fair degree...but it's still a work in progress i think - esp as my rides start to get longer with improving weather! Also was looking around on some forums where a cyclist suggested a diaper rash cream - Calmoseptive, and another lady swore by Anti Monkey Butt Powder (seriously)...I'll get back to you with any further discoveries, good luck!

Cherelli

Phew - so I am not the only one! I have also found that a thinner chamois to be better and was also going to suggest the nappy rash cream. I have tilted the nose of my saddle down ever so slightly. Also gradually building up time on the bike has helped, although not much. The first time I rode my tri bike I had to get off after 30km. It was very difficult to explain to my riding partner, that I did not know all that well, why our 70km cycle was being drastically reduced. If I had spent a minute longer on that bike I was going to cry!

kaypar: i totally agree with you. i have had the swollen labia issue as well as a leg length discrepancy/pelvic tilt issue... i also used to have tons of problems with saddle sores, but that when i was only bike racing and now that i am doing tri's and spending less time on the bike it's better. lemond wedges in my shoes help the rest of my body mechanics on the bike, so i am happy about that, but i totally agree with you that leg/pelvic discrepancies relate to chafing, swelling, etc. in the seat area.

i used to stress out about this a lot and now i just take it for what it is. i know that for like a week after a race, my right labia and groin are going to be tender to the touch. it hurts but it's not getting worse.

So I found this thread googling. I'm obviously 5 years late to the discussion but it appears there have been over 6500 views of this page and sadly, no real solution is identified.

I have had BOTH problems - pressure and chafing. I found "temporary" solution to both problems: give up road/cx/mtn biking and strictly do tris. The chafing went away once i purchased tri shorts (i.e. NO pad in the shorts). Appears others found success with that as well. As far as the pressure/swelling issue go... on my tri bike the swelling/pressure issue went away because i lean way farther forward when i sit on my aero bars AND i have a cut out in my saddle where my bits stay comfy (Cobb V-flow saddle). Granted, afer ironmans, i feel bruised all around my lady bits (basically on an underwear line) from putting pressure there but i'd take that punched in the crotch feeling over the swollen labia any day.

It has been a few years of riding strictly the tri bike but i pulled out the cx bike today only to have those painful memories come flooding back... enough so that it's a saturday night and im googling swollen labia womens cycling issues. Has anyone in the FIVE YEARS since this was posted found a solution for road/cx/mtn bikes? is there a saddle with a cut out that works when you're in an upright position?

p.s. all of you that were talking about putting shims in your shoes etc - or if you have knee/leg pain on one side along with this issue - you're probably doing what i was doing which is essentially trying to push your lady bits to one side of the saddle and riding crooked. ALl of my knee/leg pain issues went away as soon as i got on the tri bike as well. SO if you're reading this and there still are no solutions posted, please get creative and invent something for the ladies! we need it!

Wow, can't believe I started this thread 5 years ago!

So sorry to hear that you're having the same problem. I continued looking for a solution and tried an SMP saddle (which was much friendlier toward my lady parts), but unfortunately didn't work with my hip bones. In the end I found road/tri too painful, and switched to mountain biking-- I find being out of the saddle more (and only doing 2hr rides at most) helps.

Do keep us posted on how things go for you and if you find a solution.
Best of luck.

I've had some saddle sore issues in the past and I get the swollen lump thing too. I am an orthopod so my skill set is a ltittle unusual and if I have an abcess I just lance it myself and put a tpical anti biotic on it..ANYWAY I asked a dermatologist collegue and her advice was
1-Wash your girlie parts with an acne wash to keep the bateria counts down. I don't do this everyday but always after I ride. I think it helps
2-She reccomended sitting in a bleech bath which I have not done also to keep the bacteria counts down
3-use topical antibiotic on active or open lesions
4-Keep shorts clean dont' sit around in them when sweaty/dirty (obviously)

I have tried about every lube out there. There is a new one called DZNuts that is working very well for me. Hope this helps someone!! My coach comes froma cycling background and he says he knows of people who have cut out portionsof their bike seat to get the pressure off an area

Obviously everyone recommends the noseless saddles to avoid the "swollen labia" issue, but they don't work for me, and I am quite happy on the Selle Italia Superflow Max saddle. The cutout on it is so large that, frankly, no part of my actual labia touches the saddle; whether upright or on the aerobars, it's all "in the hole." I DO have some pressure from where the chamois seams at the bikini line (of every pair of XS shorts in existence) rest against the saddle sides, but using some sort of water-resistant chafing stuff like bodyglide or mission tends to reduce any issues.

That saddle is rarely mentioned by womens, but for me it's been great, and I put one on each of my bikes.

Here are the things I researched to death then have tried and now in combination, I'm happy:

1. Adamo Podium;
2. Bike fitting;
3. Shebeest shorts (pad and shorts fit properly) or thin pad shorts;
4. Beljum Budder;
5. Trim, not shave;
6. Every once in a while, stand in the saddle to relieve the pressure;
7. Wear shorts only once before washing.

Of course this is all highly personal, but thought I should share my solution.

Is anybody using unpadded shorts? I have been getting chafing from the chamois seams (due to some fit problems). I switched to some danskin compression shorts with no padding and it seems ok so far.

Thanks,
Polly

Thanks to everyone for all of the good suggestions. I've been struggling with saddle sores for the past 3 months (ugghh!), so this is a very timely topic.

Several people have recommended using bike shorts with minimal padding. Can anyone recommend some specific shorts (i.e. brand and model) that you like?

I used to wear Zoot tri shorts for almost all of my rides, but lately, it seems like the seam around the edge of the chamois has been causing some irritation. I recently bought some "real" bike shorts (Pearl Izumis and Desoto 400 mile shorts), thinking that they would help. However, I feel like the thick chamois actually makes things worse, because it seems to bunch up and create extra friction. I saw one recommendation for Zoot or Descente sprint shorts (KT-Tri) and one recommendation for SheBeest (karencoutts)... any other recommendations?

Also, a few people mentioned having problems with saddle sores that look like a swollen lump. I've had some similar issues this summer, so I thought I'd share my experience, for what it's worth. I got a nasty little lump along the underwear line after doing a long ride in July. I tried all sorts of home remedies (rest, Neosporin, hydrocortisone cream, etc), but the sore kept coming back. After about 6 weeks, the sore became so large and painful that I couldn't even sit on a bike saddle, so I finally broke down and went to the dermatologist. She gave me a hydrocortisone injection, and the lump went away completely after about a week (and it hasn't come back... hooray!). So if you're struggling with the swollen lump-type sores, you might consider visiting a dermatologist.

Best of luck to everyone who is struggling with saddle issues! I know how frustrating it can be.

Hi IA_tri_girl -

I, personally, hate wearing a large pad - even for long rides. The way we see it, why put the padding on you, and instead why not put a seat cover on your saddle? De Soto makes a regular and wide (most women's saddles are wider due to our sits bones) for $20(!) that I swear by and even when riding 100 miles can get by with a fleece pad, my personal preference.

It's worth trying. Good luck!

Tracy M. De Soto
De Soto Femme

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Tracy M. De Soto
Femme Designer/CFO/Attorney
De Soto Sport

sdtrigirl -- Thanks for the suggestion! I've never used a saddle cover, but it sounds like it would be worth a try.