Sex after a Heart Attack

When someone has had a heart attack, his perspective on all things change. Sex can seem to be too physically demanding and exhausting for them. This is not the correct view though as only 1% second heart attacks are caused by overexertion due to sex. So, the question is how to decide whether it is ok to have sex when you have had a heart attack?

Consider the following before getting back to the old ways of having sex –

• Wait for 4 to 6 weeks after having a heart attack to resume sex. Most patients completely recover after the fourth week.
• If you experience pain in the chest before or after having sex, inform your partner immediately. Medications like Nitroglycerin can be a calming influence on your chest pain. Your doctor may prescribe it.
• If it is your partner who is afraid that having sex after you have had a heart attack will trigger a second attack, take him/her to visit the doctor to know whether it is safe or not.
• If having sex was a problem, your doctor would have told you before discharging you from the hospital. You need not have even asked.
• If you have begun walking for 7 to 10 minutes at a stretch, it does indicate that you can have sex. You can consider it be another kind of exercise.

Sex after a heart attack has never been mentioned as a no-no by the medical professionals but some cases have occurred when people have suffered the second attack. Since they are not too many, you can go ahead with some caution perhaps.