Table of contents:
- Is sex safe for people with heart disease?
- The reason the sex drive of heart disease patients often decreases
- Conditions that people with heart disease should watch out for before having sex
- Keeping sex healthy and safe for heart disease patients
Heart disease (cardiovascular) affects a person's life from various aspects. Starting from changes in lifestyle to be healthier, choice of activities, to sexual activity. In fact, how does heart and blood vessel disease affect a person's sex life? Come on, see the discussion below.
Is sex safe for people with heart disease?
Heart disease cannot be cured, so symptoms can recur at any time. Fortunately, these symptoms can be controlled by following heart disease treatment and adopting an appropriate lifestyle, one of which can control stress.
One of the triggers for stress and anxiety in heart disease patients is sexual problems. As told Glenn N. Levine, MD, a professor at Baylor college of Medicine on the American Heart Association website. "Sexual activity is a common life problem faced by men and women with cardiovascular disease and their partners," said Levine.
The anxiety and stress that most heart disease patients experience is the worry that sex can cause a heart attack. The reason is because these activities can increase your heart rate even though you have problematic heart conditions.
Michael Blaha, MD, MPH, researchers from the John Hopkins Center answered the concerns of heart disease patients about this.
According to him, having sex is safe for patients with cardiovascular disease because the risk of a heart attack during this activity is very low, which is less than 1 percent. In addition, the duration of sexual activity also tends to be shorter when compared to physical activity, such as sports.
Studies show that men who have sex at least 2 times a week and women who are satisfied with their sex lives are less likely to have heart attacks.
Instead of causing a heart attack, sex benefits the heart. This is because sex has almost the same effect as exercise, which can lower blood pressure and improve the quality of sleep in patients with heart disease.
In addition, sex also maintains the intimacy of the patient's relationship with his partner. This can reduce feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression in cardiovascular disease patients. You need to know that depression and feelings of loneliness cause heart disease and can make the condition worse.
The reason the sex drive of heart disease patients often decreases
Sex life problems in heart disease patients are not only a matter of anxiety and stress about a heart attack. They also reported various other problems that made sexual life worse.
The sexual problem that many heart disease patients complain about is a decrease in sex drive. Passionate sex, also known as libido, can be interpreted as the desire to have sex.
If the sex drive is low, the desire to have sex is also low. This makes the frequency of sexual activity less frequent. Finally, affect satisfaction in having sex.
In men with heart disease, decreased desire to have sex is caused by difficulty achieving and maintaining an erection. In some cases, decreased libido in men is associated with erectile dysfunction (impotence).
Impotence is susceptible to cardiovascular disease patients, the risk is around 50 to 60 percent. Given that people with heart disease, especially coronary heart disease, experience narrowing of the blood vessels in the heart. This condition puts him at risk for narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain and other parts of the body, including the penis. When the blood vessels of the penis are narrowed, it is difficult for blood to fill the penis area, making it difficult for an erection to occur.
Meanwhile, in women, decreased desire for intercourse is due to vaginal dryness and the appearance of pain during penetration. This problem is especially common in women who have gone through menopause.
Other causes of low sex drive in heart disease patients are depression and chronic stress. Ironically, some of the drugs used by patients with cardiovascular disease and other related diseases also weaken libido.
Many blood pressure medications, including diuretics (such as hydrocholorothiazide and chlorthalidone) and beta blockers (such as carvedilol and propanolol) can reduce sex drive in both men and women. In fact, it causes erection problems in men.
The drug digoxin, which is used to treat heart failure and arrhythmias, also has the same effect. Then, antidepressant drugs such as fluoxetine (Prozac) can reduce sex drive.
Conditions that people with heart disease should watch out for before having sex
It is safe to have sex with heart disease patients as long as the doctor gives the green light and you don't feel any alarming symptoms. Therefore, a doctor's consultation is mandatory.
You don't need to hesitate to ask your doctor about this because it has a big impact on the quality of life for you and your partner. It would be better, if you invite your partner during the consultation. The goal, so that he can adapt to all changes and continue the intimate relationship safely.
Your doctor may ask you to do tests, ranging from physical tests to overall heart health.
Sexual activity may need to be avoided temporarily when you experience symptoms of heart disease, such as:
- The chest often feels pressure and discomfort (angina).
- Hard to breathe.
- Irregular heartbeat.
Sex is also prohibited in patients with heart disease with certain conditions, such as poor and uncontrolled blood pressure, advanced heart failure, and unstable angina.
The doctor will allow you to return to sex, until your condition fully improves.
Keeping sex healthy and safe for heart disease patients
Maintaining a healthy sex life means helping to improve the quality of life for heart disease patients. The best way is to always carry out routine health checks at the heart disease specialist who handles your condition and consult with a psychologist or sex specialist.
Then, talk about your condition with your partner. The presence and support of your partner can make it easier for you to treat your illness as well as improve intimacy in your relationship.
Report on journal Circulation, advising heart disease patients to eat heart-healthy foods, stop smoking and drinking alcohol, and exercise routine so that their sex life is more quality.
The doctor may reduce the dose of certain drugs so that sexual life is not disturbed. In some cases, your doctor may choose drugs that have few side effects, such as captopril, enalapril, and valsartan.
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