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People with heart implants feel fear during sex
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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A new study has found that sexual arousal may turn into anxiety for people who have electrical heart implants.
A study has found that patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator often experience anxiety during sex, fearing that the device will cause a painful shock once they reach climax, which of course significantly reduces their sexual activity.
Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are about the size of a pager and can prevent sudden cardiac arrest in patients with heart arrhythmias or congenital heart defects. If the ICD detects an abnormal heart rhythm, it returns the heart to a normal rhythm by generating normal electrical impulses. As many patients report, these electrical shocks can be painful, causing a sensation of a pounding in the chest.
The researchers surveyed 151 participants, 41 of whom had an ICD implanted, about their sexual arousal, frequency, and satisfaction with sex. They also asked them to rate their anxiety during intercourse. Both men and women with an ICD reported higher levels of anxiety due to fear of complications with the implant during sex.
Researchers believe this concern could be eased if doctors provided appropriate advice to patients after implantation of cardioverter-defibrillators.
So Dr. Albert Levy, an instructor of medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, says the risk of experiencing a shock during sex is no greater than walking up the stairs every day: "The risk during sex is equivalent to walking up the stairs. If a patient with an ICD can walk up the stairs, he can have sex."
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