How Soon Can You Have Sex After A Heart Attack?

Sure, you like sex, but can you do it after you recover from a heart attack? Or will sex lead to more attacks over the years?

The issue is not too clear. Heart disease rates have reduced over the years, but still, every year in the US, about 720,000 people suffer from heart attacks. Meanwhile, doctors' advice on getting back to work, travelling and eating habits are strong, but they do not mention sex.

Nieca Goldberg, MD, a cardiologist and chief of Women's Cardiac Care at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City said, according to webmd: "Your doctor should talk to you about sex. With all the high-tech procedures that we do for people to get them back into the community, I also think that we have to ensure them a high quality of life, and sexual activity is part of that."

The doctor has to assess the patients' capacity for physical activity, factoring the physical demands of the job, and also the time the patient can take from work, according to washingtonpost.

Sex also calls for individual assessment and advice. A recent study on 127 hospitals in the United States and Spain suggests that doctors do not touch on the issue of sexual activity after a heart attack.

After studying 2,349 women and 1,152 men who had suffered heart attacks, younger patients aged 18 to 55 years were asked whether they had discussed sexual activity with their doctors.

Losing sexual activity is an important issue affecting intimate relationships and reproduction and is leading to depression.

Many experts say that sex after cardiac arrests isn't nearly as risky as many patients believe. They assure that heart patients can once again enjoy sex after a heart attack. After a heart attack, just 12 percent of women and 19 percent of men discussed sex with the doctors. But more than 85 percent of patients received no advice from doctors about when they could resume sex.

Most of the patients were sexually active and valued sexuality as an important part of life. They wanted the initiation of the talk on sex to be begun by the doctors.

Interestingly, US patients initiated the discussions on sex and more restrictive advice was given to men, whereas in Spain, physicians initiated the topic and women were advised more restrictions. Cultural influence, of course, affects the counseling process too.

While most patients want to receive advice, inaccurate advice was given to 15 percent or so of patients who received counseling.

About two-thirds of patients were told they could resume sexual activity with restrictions such as limiting sex, taking a "passive role" or keeping their heart rate low during sex. However, sex is seen as exercise, and after a heart attack, doctors ask patients whether they can tolerate mild to moderate physical activity such as mowing the lawn or climbing two flights of stairs without chest pain or other symptoms.

In fact, just one week post an "uncomplicated heart attack" advice is given by the Scientific Statement of the American Heart Association (AHA) on sexual activity. Complications after the heart attack, such as breathlessness or continuous chest pain need to be addressed. The AHA guidelines, though, do not mention "passive roles" or keeping heart rates down during sex. However, it is not clear how patients need to assess their heart rates and bring them down during sex.

Restrictions by doctors are really supported by science, and could be limiting a patient's life. It is important for doctors to monitor their patients' sex lives and also note that if a patient can "handle moderate exercise, he or she can probably handle sex," according to washingtonpost.