Doctors need to be proactive and help men recover their whole lives after heart attack

Researchers reported at the American Heart Association’s that sexual activity declines in the year after heart attack for patients who don’t get instructions from their doctors about when it’s safe to resume sex.

Often physicians are focused on saving lives, and sexual health may not be valued as much as medications and other treatments to prevent further progression of their coronary disease. Researchers concluded doctors need to be proactive and help patients recover their whole lives after heart attack. Physicians need to assess a patient’s sexual history to ensure all aspects of a patient’s physical and emotional well-being are addressed. This is an essential part of healthcare

Male participants involved in the study (average age 59 years) were more likely to be married than women participants (average age 61 years) and were more likely to be sexually active prior to the heart attack. Researchers reported that one year after heart attack, more than two thirds of the men reported some sexual activity, and about 40 percent of the women reported sexual activity. Men were 1.3 times and women 1.4 times more likely to report a loss of sexual activity after one year if they didn’t receive information on when to resume sexual activity. Men were more likely to have a discussion about sexual activity with their physician than women.