While various TV shows and movies have shown people succumbing to death while enjoying a heightened pleasure of intercourse, is it actually possible to get a heart attack from having sex? To say the short answer, no. It's highly unlikely to get a heart attack during or after sex and you don't have much to worry about. But this definitely doesn't mean that having sex can ward off your risk of a heart attack if you have done everything in your life to build up the chance. This can include watching long hours of TV, drinking too much alcohol, not taking care of your teeth and overeating. And why not sex?

Studies done to check the science behind it

Science agrees that the risk of getting a heart attack from doing sex is the same as getting a heart attack due to brisk walking or mild exercises.

Research performed at the Harvard Medical School and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology points to the negligible 0.7% cases (not even 1%!) where sex was found to be the reason that triggered heart attacks.

Some studies however do suggest that the risk of heart attack due to sex increases in people who are overweight or lead a very sedentary life. One in particular, done by scientists at the Karolinska Institute, in Stockholm, Sweden was based on interviews with 650 people admitted to hospital with their first heart attack, between the age groups of 45-60. These were however, already patients of a heart disease.

Also read: Nutrition is very important for your sexual health. Here's why.

What about sex after having a heart attack?

Doctors recommend that any activity that raises heart rate and blood pressure should be abstained from, till about 3-4 weeks after an attack. Particularly, patients who have suffered from heart failure are at risk if they lie on their back during intercourse as fluid is likely to pool in into their lungs. A heart attack may also lead to erectile dysfunction in men. 

Do you know if you can have sex during pregnancy? Read the answer here.