Taking Women's Sexual Concerns to Heart After Myocardial Infarction

Diane E. Judge, APN/CNP

Women wanted — but often didn't get — information from their cardiologists about the safety of resuming sexual activity after MI.

The American Heart Association has just issued guidelines recommending that clinicians provide sexual counselingl to patients and their partners after myocardial infarction (MI). In a substudy of the TRIUMPH investigation, researchers document the need for this intervention in women.

Seventeen partnered women (median age, 60) participated in structured telephone interviews within 30 months (mean, 24 months) of their MIs. Most (12) did not recall their clinicians addressing resumption of sexual activity; of the five who received guidance, most had initiated the discussion themselves, and several were dissatisfied with the vagueness of the responses (e.g., “that's up to you”). All but one participant had resumed sexual activity after the MI, typically within 1 month, although some (as well as some partners) feared that sex might prompt another, possibly fatal, MI. Almost all believed cardiologists should initiate discussions about the safety of resuming sexual activity after MI; most thought this should be done at hospital discharge and again at follow-up visits.

Citation(s):

Abramsohn EM et al. “I'm not just a heart, I'm a whole person here”: A qualitative study to improve sexual outcomes in women with myocardial infarction. J Am Heart Assoc 2013 Jul 24; 2:e000199.