If you or your loved one has had a heart attack or heart surgery recently, you may be relieved to know that doctors say you can have sex again once you have healed following your op.
That’s because while you may work up a sweat during intercourse, people tend to overestimate the physical strain that sex involves, says German cardiologist Dr Markus Wrenger.
After an operation or a heart attack, you may be afraid of putting your body under too much stress, but statistically speaking, the risk of serious cardiac dysfunction during sex is “extremely low”, according to him.
When you have sex, your pulse rate rarely exceeds 130 beats per minute and your upper blood pressure value tends not to pass 170mmHg.
“So, if you can still go up two flights of stairs or go for a brisk walk without experiencing heart pain or shortness of breath, you are also fit enough for sexual activity,” he says.
Dr Wrenger does advise abstinence for some patients for a certain period for time after some operations:
- For a bypass, you are advised to wait until your sternum has healed, which doctors say is around six to eight weeks
- For surgery that did not involve opening your sternum, you can have sex again much sooner as long as you are not suffering from any discomfort and your wound has healed, which may be in just a few days.
Do take care if you have an implant or have had a pacemaker or defibrillator fitted.
The medical guidance is for patients to rest their arm on the operated side for around six weeks.
That means not raising your arm above 90 degrees, or higher than your shoulder.
- For cardiac catheterisation, wait around two days before undertaking any strenuous activity or having sex, doctors say.
And avoid sex if you have a heart condition and it worsens acutely.
“If you get chest pain such as angina pectoris or feel short of breath even during minor exertion, that’s a sign to see a cardiologist immediately and avoid physical exertion such as sexual activity,” says Dr Wrenger.
And if you have advanced heart failure, talk to your doctor about what you can and can’t do when it comes to sex. – dpa
