High Blood Pressure and Sex

The Brazilian health minister Jose Gomes Temporao urged his fellow citizens in April 2010 to have more sex because it is an important form of physical activity. This was suggested as a way to help prevent chronic diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Experts say that patients with high blood pressure should bring up sexual activity at their doctor visits. The feared heart attack during sex is considered very unlikely (below 1 percent). The German Medical Journal covers this topic in detail:

According to that report, the physical strain of sex is not considered dangerous for people whose hypertension is well controlled with or without medication. If in doubt, a cardiac stress test can be performed.

A newer study published in the journal Biological Psychology found that regular sex can even lower blood pressure. Participants who reported a satisfying sex life showed lower blood pressure under stress than those who were less or not sexually active. The study also distinguished between sex with a partner and masturbation: sex with a partner appeared to lower blood pressure more than masturbation.

Erectile dysfunction (erection problems)

Erectile dysfunction caused by high blood pressure is common in people with hypertension. Medication is often blamed, but recent research suggests that most blood pressure drugs do not threaten male potency. Rather, the overall health condition is usually responsible for reduced sexual function. Many people with high blood pressure also have other problems such as high blood lipids, diabetes and/or overweight. In these cases, erectile dysfunction should be seen as part of the metabolic syndrome. In the HOPE-3 study, neither blood pressure medication nor cholesterol-lowering drugs led to a higher rate of new erectile problems compared with the placebo group. Unfortunately, lowering blood lipids and blood pressure with medication did not prevent erectile dysfunction from occurring.

In such cases, doctors can prescribe medications for erectile dysfunction (PDE-5 inhibitors, Viagra). They are usually easy to take. One important exception is taking nitrates at the same time: these drugs must not be combined because the combination can cause serious events. Some other cardiovascular conditions also make taking Viagra or other PDE-5 inhibitors unsafe.

Sources

This article comes from BloodPressureDB – the leading app since 2011 that helps hundreds of thousands monitor their blood pressure every day. Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based data and is continuously updated (as of 04/2024).

Author Sabine Croci is a qualified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care, and has led BloodPressureDB's specialist editorial team since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder and in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides solid, practical and reliably reviewed information.

High Blood Pressure and Sex

Erectile dysfunction (erection problems)

Sources

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