天博体育

A heart attack can be a frightening wake-up call with long-lasting aftereffects. It鈥檚 no surprise that women often tread gently after having a heart attack鈥攁nd many don鈥檛 tread back into the bedroom for sex.

Up to 60% of women are less sexually active after a heart attack, according to a study released last year in the . It suggested that one cause for abstinence was the fear that sex would trigger a repeat heart attack.

In a paper , University of Chicago researchers delve a little deeper into the reasons why women abstain from sex after a heart attack. The authors interviewed 17 women (ages 43 to 75 years) about their post-heart attack sex lives. Though the women thought sex was important for resuming a sense of normalcy and intimacy with their partners, many were fearful that it would be too much for their hearts to take. One woman noted that during sex, 鈥渕y heart beat real fast and it scared me.鈥�

鈥淎 heart attack takes a toll on the body,鈥� cardiologist Paula A. Johnson, chief of the Division of Women鈥檚 Health at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital, told the Harvard Women鈥檚 Health Watch. Yet it doesn鈥檛 have to put a permanent stop to your sex life.

What is the real risk that sex will trigger a heart attack? Very slim. For every 10,000 people who have sex once a week, only two to three will have an extra heart attack, according to a study in the . And though it happens in the movies, the chances of dying during sex in reality are even smaller.

Fit enough for sex

Because sex is a form of aerobic exercise, it鈥檚 best to have a certain amount of cardiac fitness to do it. How do you know when you鈥檙e physically ready? suggest that if you can exercise hard enough to work up a light sweat without triggering symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath, it鈥檚 safe for you to have sex.

Before resuming your sex life after a heart attack, it鈥檚 a good idea to see your doctor for an exam and stress test. Going through a cardiac rehabilitation program can help get you physically fit enough for sex. A cardiac rehab program will also teach you how to improve your diet, and manage heart attack risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. 鈥淭he gains you make in cardiac rehab can help give you the confidence to know that you can engage in more strenuous physical activity, including sex,鈥� Dr. Johnson says.

Getting to 鈥渙kay鈥�

Part of the reason why women in the University of Chicago study were afraid to start having sex again was that their doctors hadn鈥檛 given them the okay. Women in this study wanted their doctors to offer them guidance on when to resume sexual activity. But for most of them, that advice never came.

Sex is important for so many reasons鈥攊ncluding your relationship, self-esteem, and health. Even if you鈥檙e physically healthy enough to have sex, you might not want to, or it might not be as satisfying as it was in the past. Sexual problems are common in women with heart issues. Whether you want to know if you can start having sex again, or you鈥檙e no longer feeling sexual, start a conversation with a trusted doctor.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important for you and your partner to know you鈥檙e not alone in your confusion and fear about returning to sex after a heart attack,鈥� lead study author Emily M. Abramsohn said in a news release. 鈥淚f your doctor isn鈥檛 giving you information to help you feel more comfortable about it, it鈥檚 important for you to ask them for it.鈥�