Patients often have less sex after suffering a heart attack, a study presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association has found.
Researchers discovered that doctors often fail to give patients information about when to resume sex, leaving them uncertain as whether or not it is safe to do so.
The study, which was carried out at the University of Chicago, questioned 1,184 males and 576 females, all of whom had suffered a heart attack.
Fewer than half of men and about one-third of women said they had been given instructions on when to resume sexual activity.
Study authors found that men were 1.3 times more likely to report a loss of sexual activity after a heart attack if they had not been given advice by their doctor.
Meanwhile, women were 1.4 times more likely to report a decline in sexual activity.
'For the most part, physicians just aren't discussing this topic with their patients after a heart attack,' said Dr Stacy Tessler Lindau, associate professor at the University of Chicago.
'Physicians need to assess a patient's sexual history to ensure all aspects of a patient's physical and emotional wellbeing are addressed.'
Cathy Ross, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said that the chances of exertion causing a second heart attack are 'extremely unlikely'.
She advised patients not to be embarrassed to ask for advice, insisting: 'You can still enjoy a happy and healthy sex life, even if you have a heart condition.'
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