Sex-related counselling needed for heart patients

Recent study findings suggest that many elderly heart disease patients, particularly women, are not getting adequate information from their cardiologists about the do's and don'ts related to their sex life. The research carried on by the Harvard Medical School in Brookline included survey responses from 236 sexually active patients, including 188 men, who were 70 years old on average and 48 women, who were an average age of 75. The study findings indicate that overall, 64% of women and 81% of men said that physicians should discuss sexual functioning with their patients. About 42% of women and 73% of men said they were comfortable talking about the subject themselves. Only 18% of the women and 3% of the men, however, said that their physicians had given them adequate information about their sexual functioning after a heart disease diagnosis. Further, only about half (52%) of the men and 28% of the women believed that their doctor was comfortable discussing sexual matters with them. This was particularly true for female-related issues of sexual satisfaction or dysfunction. Doctors asked 25% of men about sexual function and 33% about sexual satisfaction, but only 4% of women were asked about sexual function and none were asked about satisfaction. Generally, physician-patient discussions about sexuality should include reassurances that sexual activity is not likely to trigger heart attack, and relevant details about sexual functioning, erectile dysfunction and sexual satisfaction. However, discussions about sex-related issues will not emerge unless either the doctor or the patient takes the initiative.