Having a heart attack doesn’t mean your sex life has to come to an end, experts say.

Doctors don’t seem to be having "the talk" with most of their patients–especially if the patients are women. Only 46 percent of men and 35 percent of women discussed sex with their doctors when they left the hospital, the study found. Even fewer–about 40 percent of men and just 18 percent of women–ever discussed it during the following year.

Many heart-attack survivors who refrain from sex may be doing so out of fear, says the lead author of the study, Dr. Stacy Lindau, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Chicago.

"They’re not sure whether it’s safe to have sex after a heart attack, and they worry it might trigger another heart attack or result in death," Lindau says. (In fact, sexual activity is a factor in less than 1 percent of heart attacks, by some estimates.)

Generally speaking, it’s safe to resume sexual activity–or any mild-to-moderate physical activity–a few weeks after an uncomplicated heart attack, says cardiologist Dr. Nieca Goldberg, the medical director of New York University’s Women’s Heart Program, who was not involved in the study. "When I talk about it, I include it in a discussion about physical activity," she says. "That’s what people are worried about."

But many cardiologists give inadequate instructions when it comes to sex and exercise, Goldberg adds. The study "clearly shows the need for us to do better," she says.

Lindau and her colleagues evaluated data from a long-running study of heart attack survivors. As part of that study, about 1,200 men and 600 women were surveyed and asked to recall their sexual activity before their heart attack, and one year after. The average age of the participants was about 60.

Compared to the patients who did talk to their doctor about sex, the men and women who did not were 30 percent and 40 percent more likely, respectively, to be having less sex than usual one year after their heart attack.

Overall, men were more likely to be having sex than women. Nearly 70 percent of men reported some sexual activity during the year after a heart attack, compared to just 40 percent of women, the study found. (The women were also less likely to be married.)

"Older adults generally value sexuality, they see it as relevant, and they feel it’s appropriate for doctors to address the topic," says Lindau. "But patients repeatedly tell us they think doctors should initiate the discussion. Doctors need to open the door for conversation."

It’s not clear from the study why this isn’t happening as often as it should. Some doctors may feel uncomfortable discussing the topic with their patients, especially if it’s a male doctor and a female patient, Lindau says.

"It seems women doctors are better than men doctors at raising these issues," she says. "The distribution of the workforce of cardiologists is still predominantly male, and we still need more information on why male doctors may not be as good with these issues."

Doctors may also feel more comfortable discussing sex with men because there are proven FDA-approved treatments (such as Viagra) for erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems in men, Lindau adds, while similar treatments for female sexual dysfunction are limited.

The doctors shouldn’t take all the blame, however. As Goldberg points out, it takes two to tango. Although they may be reluctant to raise the issue, patients who are concerned about sexual activity have to speak up, she says. "If your doctor doesn’t bring it up, you need to be very specific and ask that question."

The bottom line? Having a heart attack doesn’t mean your sex life has to come to an end. "It is the norm to be sexually active before and after a heart attack," says Lindau. "I hope these findings empower patients to know they’re not alone if they’re having [sexual] problems, and to raise the topic with their doctor."

Lindau presented her research at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke. The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Men with ED were 1.6 times more likely to suffer from a serious cardiovascular problem, a study found.

(CNN) — Erectile dysfunction is a strong predictor of death in men with cardiovascular disease, according to new research out this week.

German researchers said in the current issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association that men with cardiovascular disease, also known as heart disease, and ED were twice as likely to die from all causes than men who did not have erectile dysfunction. And those with ED were 1.6 times more likely to suffer from a serious cardiovascular problem such as a heart attack or stroke.

The study focused on 1,519 men from 13 countries who had heart disease. The men were asked in a questionnaire whether they suffered from ED and at what degree they were impotent (mild, mild-to-moderate, moderate or severe). They were given follow-up questionnaires after two years and at their final visits five years later.

During the five years, some men were given specific drugs for heart disease, such as ACE inhibitors including ramipril, telmisartan or a combination. These drugs relax blood vessels and decrease the heart’s workload. Others were given placebos.

After the five years, researchers found that patients with ED tended to be older and had a higher prevalence of hypertension, stroke, diabetes and lower urinary tract surgery than those without ED. And deaths from all causes occurred in 11.3 percent of the patients who reported ED but in only 5.6 percent of those with no or mild ED at the start of the study.

Approximately 50 million U.S. men, including 50 to 52 percent of men ages 40 to 70, have some degree of erectile dysfunction, according to the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, one of the largest U.S. studies on the disorder.

Researchers said the risks of death from all causes increased with the progression of ED.

"Erectile dysfunction is something that regularly should be addressed in the medical history of patients; it might be a symptom of early atherosclerosis," said Dr. Michael Böhm, lead author of the study and chairman of Internal Medicine in the Department of Cardiology and Intensive Care at the University of Saarland, Germany.

"Men with ED [who] are going to a general practitioner or a urologist need to be referred for a cardiology workup to determine existing cardiovascular disease and proper treatment," Böhm stressed. "ED is an early predictor of cardiovascular disease."

Dr. Robert Stein, professor of cardiology at the New York University School Medicine, agrees. A spokesman for the American Heart Association, Stein called the study a wake-up call.

"If I suffered from ED, I would start changing my lifestyle. Eat better, watch my cholesterol, stop smoking, exercise and see my doctor," Stein warned. "This is important for all men, not just those with cardiovascular problems.

"It’s something we’ve suspected for a long time," Stein said. "That’s because ED is associated with endothelial dysfunction that occurs in cardiovascular problems. But this study is the first to really put it into perspective."

Endothelial dysfunction is a chemical breakdown of the thin layer of cells that line the blood vessels. The condition also can be found in diabetes and hypertension.

Stein also noted that researchers found that although the medication given to the participants could reduce cardiovascular events in high-risk patients, the drugs didn’t influence the course or the development of ED.

And according to Böhm, drugs for erectile dysfunction may cure the initial problem, but they don’t protect against cardiovascular or other life-threatening illnesses.

"The medication works, and the patient doesn’t show up anymore," Böhm said. "These men are being treated for ED, but not the underlying cardiovascular disease. A whole segment of men is being placed at risk."

Böhm continued, "if a man has erectile dysfunction, then he needs to ask his physician to check for other risk factors of cardiovascular disease."