Discussing sex tips with a physician after a patient has had a heart attack is typically not a comfortable topic to have. But new guidelines say patients should return to their normal sex routine as soon as they can.
According to the consensus document developed by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the European Society of Cardiology and published in Circulation and the European Heart Journal, physicians should provide individually customized guidelines and advice about a wide variety of issues relating to sexual activity.
The advice "should address topics such as when to resume sex, specific methods and recommended positions, and the role of intimacy without sex," said the American Heart Association in a press release.
The statement is the first to provide "how to" information about resuming sexual activities and applies to patients who have had a heart attack, heart transplant, stroke, received an implanted heart device, or have other heart conditions, as well as their partners.
"Patients are anxious and often afraid sex will trigger another cardiac event - but the topic sometimes gets passed over because of embarrassment or discomfort," Elaine Steinke, A.P.R.N., Ph.D., lead author of the statement and professor of nursing at Wichita State University in Kansas, was quoted as saying. Researchers have discovered that it less awkward for the patient if healthcare providers bring up 'the sex talk' than if the patient did so themselves.
Lead author Emily M. Abramsohn of the University of Chicago and colleagues surveyed 17 women in depth about their sex lives before and after their heart attacks. The average age of the women was 60 and they were in long-term, committed relationships. The women were selected from a large, multi-state study of health and sexual outcomes after heart attack.
