Many Women Worry About Sex After Heart Attack, Study Shows

Have you ever suffered a heart attack? Did it affect your sex life? New research shows you’re not alone.

A study conducted by the University of Chicago found women who have suffered a heart attack worry about returning to a normal sex life, with many feeling their doctors should discuss the issue more openly.

Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers interviewed 17 female survivors of heart attacks for the report.

While most were found to have returned to being sexually active within two months of their attack, a common concern about the risk to their hearts kept repeating in the surveys.

Of the few who had discussed the issue with their own doctors, most were found to have brought up the matter themselves. Experts say this is not uncommon.

The participants were part of a larger study and averaged around 60 years old. The women involved in the study had, on average, experienced their heart attack about two years prior to the research.

“Some reported their partners had also

become concerned about sexual activity.”

Some reported their partners had also become concerned about whether sexual activity could lead to another attack.

Forty-seven percent of male heart attack survivors in the same research were found to have discussed returning to sex with their doctors, compared to only 35 percent of women.

According to the American Heart Association, sex is a low-risk activity that triggers less than 1 percent of heart attacks.

Guidelines released in 2012 by the AHA and the American College of Cardiology said those able to climb two flights of stairs with no pain or breathing difficulty should be fine having sex.

From: heart.org.