Related topics: •  Blood Pressure and Stroke Center

If you suffer from any type of heart trouble, it's only natural to have concerns about whether sex is still safe for you. Here's the good news: According to the American Heart Association, most people with heart trouble can enjoy sex safely -- and that includes those with high blood pressure.

Sex -- like any other form of exercise -- does get the heart pumping. And, in rare cases, the extra exertion could trigger a heart attack. But the risks are encouragingly small. According to a report in the July 20, 2000 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology, fewer than 1 percent of all heart attacks occur during sexual activity.

Still, some people need to be careful. As reported in the American Journal of Cardiology, sex really can be dangerous for people with severe hypertension that isn't under control. If you have high blood pressure but aren't receiving treatment -- or if your blood pressure is soaring despite treatment -- your doctor may ask you to abstain from sex or other strenuous activity until your pressure is under control. If there's any doubt about your safety, your doctor will order a stress test to measure the effects of exercise on your heart.

Whether you're a man or a woman, high blood pressure can definitely put a damper on your sex life. Among men, high blood pressure can cause erection problems by slowing the supply of blood to the penis. A survey of 104 men with hypertension, published in the October 2000 issue of The Journal of Urology, found that the vast majority -- 71 patients -- had some form of erectile dysfunction. For 47 men -- nearly half -- the problem was severe.

In recent years, researchers have begun to understand that high blood pressure also takes a toll on female sexuality. A study of 640 women, published in the June 2000 issue of The American Journal of Hypertension, found that the women with hypertension were significantly more likely than others to suffer pain during intercourse. They also were more likely to have decreased vaginal lubrication and trouble reaching orgasm.

In an unfortunate twist, many drugs that are good for your heart can be hard on your sex life. According to the Mayo Clinic, many diuretics and beta blockers -- two very popular classes of blood pressure medicine -- can sap a person's sex drive and cause erectile problems in men. Though it’s usually safe to take erectile dysfunction drugs (Viagra, Levitra, Cialis) with high blood pressure medication, don’t take them with nitrates -- this can cause a life-threatening drop in blood pressure.

If you develop any sexual difficulties after taking your medication, don't suffer in silence. Your doctor can usually solve the problem by simply changing the prescription. As reported in Postgraduate Medicine, ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers can lower blood pressure with little to no risk of sexual side effects.

In fact, some hypertension medicines may actually give a boost to a person's sex life. A study of 82 men with sexual dysfunction, published in the May 2001 issue of the American Journal of Medicine and Science, found that patients had more reliable erections and more frequent sex after treatment with the drug losartan (Cozaar). Losartan belongs to a relatively new class of drugs known as angiotensin II receptor antagonists.

Whatever medicine your doctor prescribes, be sure to follow the instructions to the letter. Taking medicines properly is one of the surest ways to cut down on side effects, sexual or otherwise.

-- Chris Woolston, M.S., is a health and medical writer with a master's degree in biology. He is a contributing editor at Consumer Health Interactive, and was the staff writer at Hippocrates, a magazine for physicians. He has also covered science issues for Time Inc. Health, WebMD, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. His reporting on occupational health earned him an award from the northern California Society of Professional Journalists.

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First published March 25, 2002
Last updated March 12, 2008
Copyright © 2002 Consumer Health Interactive

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