SUPER MARITAL SEX: SEX AND THE HEART: RULES OF THUMB TO APPLY TO THE ISSUE OF HEART DISEASE AND SEXUALITY
Here are some rules of thumb to apply to the issue of heart disease and sexuality. Remember, talk to your doctor first!
1. Talk with your doctor as a couple, not individually. Your healing takes place within a system, a relationship, so give your doctor the opportunity to talk to both of you. Talking together prevents some of the problems of “interpretation” from spouse to spouse.
2. Talk as a couple and with your doctor about sex and about concerns about the heart disease. There are many types of heart disease and very little research on sex and heart disease, so communication and mutual openness is important. Everybody who has ever had heart disease wonders about sexual issues. You are not alone in your concerns. Anxiety is worse for the heart than embarrassment, so take the risk and share your concerns.
3. Don’t try to prove you are “all better” by trying a sexual marathon. Return gradually to the sexuality the marriage desires. Sexual tests always flunk anyone who tries them.
4. With or without heart disease, it is better to be sexually active when you are in good general health. Look at this issue as a general issue, not just one related to the heart muscle. Sexual health is a cornerstone of general health.
.5. Avoid alcohol and heavy, rich meals. We all should do this anyway, and the risk factor for stroke or heart attack is increased for anyone when he or she drinks, eats a lot, and has sex.
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