Heart disease and sexuality: Is sex dangerous for the heart?

However, this fear of health problems often has an impact on sexuality. In addition, heart diseases such as heart attacks, heart valve diseases, cardiac arrhythmias, diseases of the blood vessels supplying the heart (coronary heart disease, CHD) or the heart failure that often results from them also have an impact on the mental state. Many things that were once possible are often restricted after heart disease, sometimes no longer possible or have to be slowly regained. As a result, anxiety and sometimes depression often arise in heart patients. This also has a negative effect on the desire and sexual activity of those affected and their partners.

Since heart diseases have various causes, they are treated differently. Even though some heart medications, for example, can affect sexuality, it is important that you continue to take your medication regularly and discuss your concerns with your doctor. If you have sexual dysfunction, certain medications such as PDE-5 inhibitors can help. At the same time, however, these medications are not permitted or can only be taken with reservations in the case of certain heart conditions and medications. For this reason, it is imperative that you discuss this with your doctor and know whether and how you can take such medication.

If you feel ready and have been given the green light by your doctor, there are a few general tips that can help you resume sexual activity.

• Don't put yourself under pressure and try to be rested and relaxed.
• To avoid additional stress, ideally choose a familiar environment and someone you know and trust to start with.
• It is advisable to avoid heavy meals about an hour before sex. Heavy drinking can also have a negative physical effect.
• In the beginning, it is best to try out simple, physically non-strenuous positions that do not restrict your breathing.
• Lying positions or where both people lie next to each other are recommended.
• Use foreplay to gradually get used to the increased activity. Take breaks when you need them.

Remember to take your time and not focus on reaching orgasm. To improve your physical condition for sex too, regular exercise can help. You can improve your fitness under medical supervision as part of a cardio sports group - talk to your doctor about this.

Warning signs that you are not ready yet

If you experience the following symptoms during sex or other physical activity, it is important that you contact your doctor:

• Shortness of breath or shortness of breath
• Pain in the chest
• Irregular pulse
• Nausea or indigestion

What happens after heart surgery?

In many cases, it is also possible to lead an active sex life again after a certain period of recovery and recuperation following heart surgery, such as on the heart valves.

One example of a heart valve disease is mitral regurgitation. In this case, the heart valve between the left ventricle and the left atrium, the mitral valve, no longer closes completely. In addition to treating the symptoms with medication, it is also possible to treat the cause of this disease, i.e. the leaky valve, with surgery. Compared to open heart surgery, percutaneous mitral valve repair is less invasive. Access to the heart is usually gained using a catheter via a small incision in the groin. The advantage of this is that patients are usually back on their feet more quickly and therefore often back at home sooner. With the so-called MitraClip™, cardiologists and heart surgeons can repair the mitral valve using a small clip so that it closes properly again and the blood flow in the heart normalises.

Not only leaky heart valves can be treated in this minimally invasive way, but also narrowed heart valves. Doctors treat aortic valve stenosis, for example, using the Navitor™ TAVI system. TAVI stands for transcatheter aortic valve implantation and is an abbreviation of the English term "transcatheter aortic valve implantation". This is a procedure in which the narrowed aortic valve is replaced with an artificial valve using keyhole surgery.

However, even with minimally invasive heart valve surgery, it is important that you discuss this with your doctor before resuming sexual activity. It is better to have your physical fitness checked by a doctor before you start exercising again.

Don't forget your partner

Studies have shown that for many partners of patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation, sexual concerns were among the most frequently mentioned stress factors. Many couples are primarily concerned about sexual intercourse and are afraid of having a heart attack. Many do not realise that this can also lead to stress and problems in the relationship and that this also has a negative impact on health.

After a serious illness such as a heart attack or similar has occurred, it is often necessary to redefine oneself as a couple and possibly also to find new or different sexual behaviors. Here, too, there are ways to get help and support. Your doctor can advise you on this.