Sex After a Heart Attack

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How soon can I resume sexual intercourse?

If you can comfortably walk a quarter-mile or climb two flights of stairs, you can have sex again. For most people, that’s within a few days of a heart attack. After a severe coronary, you might have to wait two weeks.

“You sort of have to test yourself on the sidewalk before you test yourself in the bedroom,” says Gerald W. Neuberg, M.D., cardiologist and director of the Intensive Care Unit at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Allen Pavilion. “Sex is physically therapeutic. Like other regular physical activity, it’s heart-healthy—good for your circulation, metabolism, and reducing future heart-disease risk.”