The word ‘heart-stopping’ is often used to describe something excitingly suspenseful, but overly vigorous sex between a heart attack survivor and his or her lover could prove heart-stopping in the literal sense! Standard information available to individuals who are recovering from heart attacks usually mentions the period of time one should wait before engaging in sexual activity again, but many heart attack survivors require more extensive information.
Any heart condition requires caution in cardio exercise. Even though sex is not guaranteed to cause further heart problems, many people are understandably anxious after they have experienced a life-endangering medical situation. Many will not ask medical health professionals specific questions about what is safe and what is not, out of embarrassment. Recently, guidelines for handling the sexual health of people who are suffering or recovering from heart ailments were published jointly by American and European journals specializing in heart research.
One of the recommendations made in the guidelines is that anyone who has had a stroke, undergone a heart transplant, or has had other heart-related treatment should be given sex counselling. Counselling creates a space where patients feel encouraged to ask direct questions that will help them to avoid unwise activities. According to the paper, heart attack patients can resume having sex after one week has passed, on condition that they are not experiencing chest pain or other symptoms at rest or during brisk exercise. In the case of heart transplants, patients may have sex after six to eight weeks, provided that any incisions are healed.
One of the important aspects of resuming sex after heart complications is to start off slowly, and to report any unusual symptoms experienced during sex to a doctor. A professor of nursing from the Wichita State University in Kansas, who is the primary author of the guidelines, also recommended that recovering patients of bypass surgery do not take the sex position ‘on top’, as this could cause extra strain.
What the new guidelines suggest is that it is perfectly fine for people to engage in sex after experiencing even the most severe heart complications, provided that they maintain frank discussions with their doctors and follow important advice given.
I believe that nutrition science is a wonderful helper both for the preventive improvement of health and adjunctive therapy in treatment. My goal is to help people improve their health and well-being without torturing themselves with unnecessary dietary restrictions. I am a supporter of a healthy lifestyle – I play sports, cycle, and swim in the lake all year round. With my work, I have been featured in Vice, Country Living, Harrods magazine, Daily Telegraph, Grazia, Women's Health, and other media outlets.
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