Sexual Problems More Common In Women Following A Heart Attack

Acute myocardial infarctions (AMIs) or heart attacks - occur among people between the ages of 18-55 years old. Out of those who are affected, one-third are women. And while heart attacks are already serious as they are, it seems that a study found there are more problems that occur after.

A paper published in the journal JAMA Cardiology said that younger adults who experience heart attacks also report sexual problems, most of them occurring in women. More women were said to report no sexual problems at the study baseline, but developed problems in the year following their heart attacks.

Stacy Tessler Lindau of the University of Chicago and her colleagues conducted research to analyze patterns of sexual activity and help identify indicators of the decrease of sexual activity in the year after their heart attacks using data from a previous study.

They found that 40 percent of the sexually active women reported no sexual function problems in the year after their heart attack, but more women - 42 percent developed problems after, a significant margin compared to the 31 percent in men. Among the problems, as reported by Medical News Today include lack of interest (40 percent) trouble lubricating (22 percent), and difficulty breathing (20 percent). For men, on the other hand, the problems include erectile difficulties (22 percent), lack of interest (19 percent), and anxiety about sexual performance (16 percent).

The study also found that patients who have not communicated with their physician about sex in the first month after a heart attack were likely to delay resuming sexual activities - and women are less likely to receive counseling regarding sexual activity compared to men.

"Patients want to know what level of sexual function to expect during recovery from AMI. Our findings can be used to expand counseling and care guidelines to include recommendations for advising patients on what to expect in terms of post-AMI sexual activity and function," the authors wrote. "Attention to modifiable risk factors and improved physician counseling may be important levers for improving sexual function outcomes for young women and men after AMI."

Indicators that increase the probability of not resuming sexual activity in the year following the heart attack included older age, single status, higher stress levels, and diabetes.