Healthy sex life after a cardiac event

Resuming sexual activity is expressed by patients as extremely important after a myocar­dial infarction (MI). In spite of this, sex counselling is an area of nursing practice that is frequently neglected and needs more evidence-based knowledge.

An active sex life is an important condition of life, both before and after an acute or chronic disorder, but evidence concerning the sex life, marital life and marital functioning of patients after having suffered a cardiac event is relatively inadequate. More than 50 percent of patients describe a decrease in sexual activity and satisfaction after an MI.

The most important reason given is the fear of triggering a (re-) infarction, which creates stress and anxiety in the sex and marital life of a couple.