Sex after a Heart Attack - for Men

Be Careful with Performance Enhancing Drugs

(LifeWire) - After suffering a heart attack, it's perfectly natural to wonder how life will ever again be normal. And for many men, those worries extend to the bedroom -- where the fear of having another heart attack during sex can prove crippling to resuming intimacy.

The good news is that the vast majority of men who suffer heart attacks can have sex again without restriction within two to six weeks. In fact, among both men and women, fewer than 1% of heart attacks and 5% of angina attacks -- chest pain due to blockage of the coronary arteries -- occur during sexual activity.

More than 555,000 men suffer first or subsequent heart attacks every year and 83,000 of them die. Another 200,000 men undergo coronary bypass surgery, a procedure done to alleviate blocked arteries and prevent new or recurrent heart attacks.  So the question of resuming normal activities after heart attack or surgery, including sex, is hardly an isolated one. But just as most other activities can be resumed shortly afterward, so can intimacy.

For some cardiac patients, sexual problems begin before a heart attack. Erectile dysfunction, the consistent inability to sustain an erection, affects more than 50% of men over 60 and is a recognized symptom of cardiovascular disease.  LIke cardiac disease, it is related to blood flow impediments. Anyone with erectile dysfunction should see a doctor not only to address that situation but to screen for coronary disease.

Men with diabetes, a major risk factor for heart disease, are also more susceptible to erectile dysfunction because unchecked blood sugar levels can lead to nerve damage in many parts of the body, including the sex organs.

And men who use performance-enhancing drugs such as Viagra, which allows greater blood flow for an erection, should obtain their doctor's permission to continue taking such drugs after a cardiac event. They could have dangerous consequences, depending on how they interact with other heart medications, some of which also affect blood flow.

Some doctors require patients to pass a heart stress test, a timed period of exercise on a treadmill or stationary bicycle, before giving the go-ahead for sex. Sexual intercourse, despite many myths, requires a moderate level of exertion similar to a brisk walk, carrying 20 pounds of groceries a short distance or a round of golf.

Most heart attack patients, however, quickly work to that level within a matter of weeks, especially if they're participating in a cardiac rehabilitation program.

The American Heart Association offers guidelines for resuming sex that contribute to both comfort and safety:

• Choose a time of day that is stress-free and when you're relaxed and rested.
• Wait one to three hours after a meal to allow time for digestion.
• Pick a familiar, tranquil setting.
• Take prescription medications before sex.
• Immediately report any chest pain or dizziness during sex to your doctor.

Sources: