Ed pills.

As a psychologist who has counseled heart patients for more than thirty
years, Wayne Sotile, PhD, knows exactly how much they worry about sex after a
heart attack.

And if theyre not anxious, believe me, their partners anxious, he
says.

Couples worry about triggering a second heart attack, or even that a patient
could die in the bedroom. But Sotile and cardiologists tell WebMD that
sex isnt nearly as risky as many patients believe. With a touch of
reassurance, heart patients can once again enjoy sex after a heart attack.

Why Fear Sex After a Heart Attack?

While fears of another heart attack or dying are common, patients have also
told Sotile that theyre afraid of erectile dysfunction
their partner if they die
during sex. As director of psychological services for the Wake Forest
University Healthy Exercise and Lifestyle Programs, Sotile is also a special
consultant in behavioral health for the Center for Cardiovascular Health at
Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Female patients have told Nieca Goldberg, MD, a cardiologist and chief of
Womens Cardiac Care at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, about concerns
about increased heart rate and sweating during sex after a heart attack. They
fear triggering heart attack symptoms.

According to Goldberg, depression also sidelines many patients, especially
women.

Women have higher rates of depression after their heart attacks, she
says.

Men are also prone to problems that cause them to put sex on the back
burner. Randal Thomas, MD, a preventive cardiologist and director of the
Cardiovascular Health Clinic at the Mayo Clinic, says, A persons life is
essentially thrown upside-down. They see their frailty and how close they came
to dying, and it can lead to a lot of psychological issues and need for
recuperation.

Some patients give up sex after a heart attack, and theyre too embarrassed
to talk to their doctor about it. Goldberg encourages you to bring
up the subject if your doctor doesnt.

Your doctor should talk to you about sex. With all the high-tech procedures
that we do for people to get them back into the community, I also think that we
have to ensure them a high quality of life, and sexual activity is part of
that.

When Can You Resume Sex After a Heart Attack?

Most people can safely resume sexual activity a couple of weeks after a
heart attack, if they have no serious complications, cardiologists say.

In fact, the chance of another heart attack during sex is so low that its
not worth worrying about, says James E. Muller, MD, a researcher who published
a 2000 study, Triggering of Cardiac Events by Sexual Activity, in the
American Journal of Cardiology.

The absolute risk is very low and should not be a generic sildenafil citrate for those
with stable coronary disease, he says.

Sex is generally physical activity, and some doctors have even said its
the equivalent of walking up a flight of steps, Goldberg says. Its not as
vigorous an activity as some people perceive.

Patients may not even need an exercise stress test first to check how much
physical activity their heart can handle according to Thomas. In general,
patients can resume sex after a heart attack if they are able to walk a couple
of flights of stairs, if theyre able to walk on a treadmill, or do
drug for treatment of erectile dysfunction
activity without any chest discomfort or without any severe
shortness of breath, says Thomas.

Sex after a heart attack is safe even after successful bypass surgery or
angioplasty in which stents are placed inside arteries to keep them open,
according to Goldberg. However, bypass patients may need additional time to
recover from their surgical wounds.

Certain high-risk patients do need to be more cautious, however. If theyve
developed complications from a heart compare generic viagra
example, heart failure or
dangerous heart rhythms that make them prone to heart attack, cardiac arrest,
or faintingthey may need additional treatment. Until these treatments work to
reduce their cardiac risk, they should ask their doctor when it will be safe to
resume sexual activity.