Intimacy and Heart Disease: Resuming Sexual Intimacy
When
you both feel ready for sex, start slowly. Once you have your healthcare provider's
okay,
having sex with a partner you know well, in nearly all cases, will not cause a heart
attack. On average, sex takes about as much energy as climbing 2 flights of stairs.
Here
are tips for resuming safe sexual intimacy.
Be patient. Give your partner and yourself time to rebuild intimacy.
Helpful
hints
-
Start out slowly and give yourself time to feel ready. Try hugging, kissing,
touching, or caressing at first. They help you both feel close and wanted.
-
Foreplay is activities that arouse but are short of intercourse. They help the
body relax for the activities to come next.
-
Choose a quiet, relaxed place to be intimate. Keep the temperature in the room
comfortable.
-
Choose a time when you both feel rested. Try when you wake up in the morning or
after taking a nap.
-
Wait at least
1 hour after eating, taking a
bath or shower, or exercising before you have sex.
-
If your healthcare provider has prescribed
medicine to be taken before sex, take it as directed.
If you have problems
-
If you have chest pain (angina) during sex, stop
and take nitroglycerin as prescribed. Call your healthcare provider as directed.
Keep in mind that it is not safe to take nitroglycerin along with certain
medicines for erectile dysfunction (ED). If you have chest pain after having taken
a medicine that makes nitroglycerin unsafe, don't take nitroglycerin. Instead,
wait and relax for a few minutes. If your chest pain does not get better and go
away, call your healthcare provider.
-
If you have shortness of breath during sex, stop
for a few minutes. If it doesn’t go away, or if it comes back when you resume sex,
call your healthcare provider.
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If you have trouble sleeping after sex, or you
are very tired the next day, talk to your healthcare provider.
-
If you can’t become aroused, talk with your
healthcare provider. ED is fairly common, especially in people who have heart
disease. It may also be caused by certain heart medicines. Your healthcare
provider may be able to change the dose of your medicine. Or they may give you
medicine to improve sexual function unless you are taking nitrates.
If you’ve had heart surgery
If
you’ve had heart surgery, ask your healthcare provider when you can resume sex. Once
your healthcare provider says it's OK, sex should not cause any harm. Healing from
surgery most often takes
4 to 6 weeks. To prevent pain until
you’ve healed, stick with lower-level activities that don't put stress on your
chest.