Ask Dr Miriam

QMy husband had a heart attack six weeks ago, and thankfully he’s made a good recovery. We were wondering when it’s safe to have sex again.

AI would always advise you to speak to your heart specialist for advice, as all aspects of your case must be taken into consideration.

As far as resuming sexual activity after a heart attack we know that counselling is sometimes inadequate and when it’s given it’s often unnecessarily restrictive. But you can do a simple test to see whether your husband is ready to have sex again. If he can walk up two flights of stairs or walk briskly for a few minutes without bringing on symptoms such as angina he should be OK. Information about sexual activity is usually included in heart rehabilitation programmes and your GP should be able to give you some guidance about that.