Sexual activity after stroke

A stroke caused by a cerebrovascular accident is very dangerous and brings many complications to the patient. Although the rehabilitation exercise after a stroke is effective, the patient will still face difficulties and affect many activities in life, especially in terms of sex life. Read the article below to learn more about whether to have sex after a stroke and what precautions should be taken to have safe sex after a stroke.

Stroke is also known as cerebrovascular accident. This is an acute disease, the occurrence of mild strokes signifies serious brain damage. When the brain occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted, stopped, there is no circulation or there is a broken blood vessel in the brain, there is a high chance that the person will have a stroke. At that time, the amount of oxygen and nutrients feeding the brain cells at this time will be significantly reduced within just a few minutes. Although the time is short, it is enough to cause brain cells to begin to gradually die and cause many life-threatening complications, especially a stroke that can lead to death when the person has it. If the body has a stroke that is not treated in time, the cells in the brain will quickly stop working. This means that patients face many sequelae of disability or even death. A stroke can have a major physiological and sexual impact on stroke survivors and their sexual partners even after a person has recovered. People recovering from a stroke can experience many physical and emotional difficulties. After recovering from a stroke, a person may gradually begin to rebuild relationships with loved ones around them. Therefore, physiological and sexual problems are inevitable.
Patients with cerebrovascular accident are often affected by physiology and emotions before entering into a full love affair, because in order to have sex, it must ensure at least three main factors such as: The following:
Sex hormones must be guaranteed: Sex hormones are present in both sexes and can change depending on different times. For men, sex hormones include hormones such as testosterone, LH hormone, ... or in women, estrogen. These are hormones directly related to human sexual performance. Nervous center capable of receiving excitement: Their nerve center must receive a full range of feelings of excitement and desire during sexual intercourse. For example, when the nerve transmission from the genitals to the nervous system is intact, both partners can perform safe sex. Having enough physical strength to have sex: Sex is a whole-body activity, requiring the coordination of many muscle groups, bones and joints,... all of which need flexibility, rhythmic coordination and movement. If you are normal, you can have sex.

The above are the 3 most important factors to have when couples have normal sex, but in people after being damaged by a stroke, it leads to effects on the 3 factors above. as follows:
Hormones. Hormones are usually less affected by endocrine organs secreting sex hormones are rarely affected by cerebrovascular accident. Therefore, people who have a stroke have little effect on their sex drive. If psychological causes are excluded, people with cerebral vascular accident still have the same sexual desire as before.
Exciting centers of the central nervous system and conduction system. Depending on each case of stroke in severe or mild form, the ability to receive excitement is affected more or less. In case the central nervous system arousal is damaged to some extent, it will affect the quality of sexual activities of the person having a stroke. But there are also cases where these areas are not or less damaged, in terms of receiving arousal, the patient still feels orgasmic excitement during sexual intercourse as before the disease.
Muscle groups performing sexual intercourse If the stroke patient does not experience paralysis or paralysis in the muscle groups, bones, joints, ... still works smoothly, it is still possible. casual sex. And if one or more muscle groups are damaged a lot, then the performance of sexual acts will also be affected and need coordination and support from your partner.
In addition to the above factors, after recovering from stroke damage, stroke patients may also experience other effects on the body's organs and emotions, including:
Decreased libido Both men and women All experience similar emotional problems after a stroke. Most sufferers experience feelings of anxiety, fatigue, and depression. These thoughts take up most of the time and mind, so most people after a stroke have a decrease or no desire for sex.
Erectile dysfunction in men The erection of the penis during sex is a complex process involving the brain, hormones, emotions, nerves, muscles and blood vessels. Therefore, when the brain is damaged more or less, it affects the erection of the penis and the emotional disturbances and the inherent risks of the vascular system. Therefore, after stroke patients often have difficulty in having sex. Erectile dysfunction can also be caused as a side effect of medications that a person must take after a stroke. For example, some drugs for high blood pressure or cardiovascular drugs, etc. In addition, erectile dysfunction is also a consequence of after-stroke motor sequelae such as hemiplegia.
Reducing the frequency of sex or not having sex The process of having a stroke is a scary experience for patients and especially the disease has a very high risk of recurrence, people who have had a stroke should not This is important because previous mild strokes can be a sign of an impending major stroke. As a result, many people worry that having sex could lead to the next stroke. However, current scientific evidence does not show a link between sex and secondary stroke risk. Therefore, patients can completely return to sex life a few weeks after stroke treatment, as long as the body is ready.

Inability to move Strokes can affect areas of the brain that control the arms and legs, thus preventing a person from performing their favorite sex positions. Depending on the extent of brain damage and each person's sex habits, it will affect more or less.
Depression Some studies have suggested that depression that occurs after a stroke has reduced sex drive in both patients and their partners. However, it is still a question that people wonder whether depression is the cause of the decline in sex drive or the treatments because low libido is one of the most common side effects of the drug. anti depression.
Areas of the brain associated with sex damage As noted above, strokes rarely directly cause sexual dysfunction. However, some strokes can affect nerve conduction from the genital area, causing the patient to experience numbness in the genitals. Strokes often affect the hypothalamus, an area of ​​the brain responsible for controlling sex hormones, which affects a patient's sex life. In addition, in rare cases, stroke can cause subjects to have increased sexual instincts, or other sexual behaviors that are different from normal and inappropriate.

After trying to recover the damage and function of the body, the patient's body may not be the same as it was before, and the health may be partially impaired. However, instead of thinking negatively, the patient should accept the shortcomings of his body. It is the first and most important step in the process of re-establishing life in general and sex in particular. Either way, people should be confident and explore their sexuality in new ways to adapt to physical and emotional changes, perhaps with partners to coordinate, help to help. love becomes more perfect. In addition, we should pay attention to the following:
If the drug has been prescribed by a doctor, the patient should use the drug before starting anything related to sex. If there is a time of shortness of breath during sexual activity, the patient and partner can change positions to feel more comfortable. The chair should be wide and low enough for the patient's feet to rest comfortably on the floor and rest afterwards. Patients entering love should completely eliminate thoughts that their body may have been changed after a stroke or that they are no longer as confident as before. This makes it easy to think that you will fail in the process of "having sex" and putting pressure on the patient. Pillows (pillows, pillows) should be used to help support the side of the patient's body that has been affected by the stroke during sexual activity. For example, if a patient is left hemiplegic after a stroke, a pillow should be placed on the patient's left side. Couples should choose familiar, peaceful scenes to avoid all influences from the surrounding. Thus, sex after a stroke can still happen. Couples can still have sex as before if the stroke does not lead to changes in the emotional and physical health of the subject. In some cases, after a stroke, the body is affected by many factors, so the patient also needs to keep the mentality to gradually improve his or her condition.