Harvard Health Content API

Most heart patients are healthy enough to have sex, the American Heart Association (AHA) says. In a new statement, the group tries to clear up questions about what’s known about sex and heart disease. Heart patients should ask a doctor if they can safely have sex. Some may need heart rehab first. But most eventually get the doctor’s OK, even after a heart attack. Generally, the AHA says, if you can climb two flights of stairs without chest pain or gasping for breath, you can have sex. The risk of having a heart attack is two to three times higher during sex. But that’s still only a slight increase in a person’s overall heart attack risk, the AHA says. Only about 1% of heart attacks are caused by sex. Research suggests that the risk of sudden death from sex is greatest for a married man having an affair with a younger woman in an unfamiliar place.

Older women at low risk of osteoporosis may need to get bone density tests only every 15 years, new research suggests. The study included 5,000 women. They were part of a large, long-term health study. When the study began, they were at least 67 years old. A bone mineral density test at that time showed that none had osteoporosis. Some did have osteopenia. They had below-normal bone density, but not as low as in osteoporosis. During the next 15 years, only 1% of those with normal bone density developed osteoporosis. But the number was 62% for those with advanced osteopenia. Women who had normal bone density or mild osteopenia were found to be low risk. Researchers concluded that most could wait 15 years for another test. Some might need the tests more often if other factors increased their risk. Women with moderate osteopenia should repeat the test in 5 years, researchers said.