The American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology Council recommends healthcare providers to counsel their heart attack patients about resuming sexual activities after a cardiac event.
Survivors of heart attacks are usually hesitant to resume sexual activities after experiencing a cardiac event. According to cardiology experts, healthcare providers of such individuals should take matters into their own hands and counsel the patients.
The recommendation was made in a press statement released by the American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology, after a recently conducted study found that people, especially women worry about resuming sex after a heart attack.
"Patients are anxious and often afraid sex will trigger another cardiac event -- but the topic sometimes gets passed over because of embarrassment or discomfort," statement lead author Elaine Steinke, a professor of nursing at Wichita State University in Kansas, said in a joint AHA/ESC news release.
The statement also provided a "how to" guide to help physicians provide information about resuming sexual activities. This information applies to patients that have had a heart attack, heart transplant, stroke, received an implanted heart device or have other heart conditions, as well as their partners.
Some of the tips include:
- Regularly checking heart attack patients during their routine checkups to see if they are healthy enough to resume sexual activities.
- Providing individualized, structured counseling based on specific needs and medical condition
- Suggesting safe sexual positions, getting intimate without having sexual intercourse and when it's safe to resume sexual activities.
"There are many barriers or misconceptions that inhibit discussions about sex. Some healthcare professionals may believe the patient does not want this information, but we have found it is easier for the healthcare provider to start the discussion than for the patient to bring up these issues", said Tiny Jaarsma, R.N., N.F.E.S.C., co-chair of the task force on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology's Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions and a professor at the Linköping University, Sweden.
Experts also warn that medication taken after cardiac events can affect sex drive and function in both men and women. Hence, such patients should discuss any problems they may be having with their physician and consult them if they're looking to stop these medications.
