It used to be a coarse English joke, that a man “died on the job”, meaning while having sexual intercourse. Of course I have no way of knowing what other nations thought about this phenomenon at the time; I lived and worked mainly in England until I was well into my 50s…
The supposition was always that it was a great way to die; that the woman must have been wildly sexy and exciting; and that such an exit was to be envied by all.
You may remember the old crack about a man marrying a much younger woman, 30 years his junior.
“Vigorous sex could be fatal,” warned one of his cautious friends.
“If she dies, she dies,” was the philosophical reply!
To my knowledge, there were NO stories about women dying while being nailed!
Well, the truth—as usual—is very much at variance with the myth. An English summary of comprehensive autopsies, published in JAMA Cardiology, showed that sex very rarely triggers sudden cardiac death (SCD), though more women than expected were affected.
Death due to sudden cardiac arrest, during or within 1 hour after sexual intercourse, occurred in just 0.2% of 6,847 cases. “Sudden” was precisely defined as: death occurring within 12 hours of apparent well-being. All cases underwent macroscopic and histological evaluation of the heart by cardiac pathologists.
The causes of death were as follows:
• Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome: 0.2%
• Aortic dissection: 2%
• Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy: 0.7%
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: 0.3%
• Ischemic heart disease: 0.1%
• Idiopathic fibrosis: 0.6%
• Idiopathic left ventricular hypertrophy: 0.3%
• Mitral valve prolapse: 1%
Why Am I Telling This?
Not to worry! If you are still active sexually, it doesn’t seem that it poses a serious risk, unless you already have a serious health condition. Even then, the danger is not sufficient to justify abstinence. Not when so much pleasure and intimacy is to be had.
It’s not even the obvious “old person’s” manner of exit!
Surprisingly, the 17 people in this study who died from SCD after sex averaged just age 38, and two-thirds were men, reported Mary Sheppard, MD, of St. George’s University of London, and colleagues in JAMA Cardiology.
“Younger individuals (aged less than 50 years) with cardiac conditions, such as cardiomyopathies and channelopathies, may be concerned about their risk for sudden death during sexual intercourse because of the [adrenalin] surge that accompanies this activity,” they wrote.
“We believe these findings provide some reassurance that engaging in sexual activity is relatively safe in patients with a cardiac condition, especially in younger (aged less than 50 years) individuals.”
The investigators cited a 2006 study that associated sex with 0.2% of natural deaths that underwent autopsy, a cohort of predominantly middle-aged men (average age 59.1 years, 92.6% men).
The group they investigated for the new study had a substantially higher proportion of female decedents than in previous studies. This difference was likely associated with the different age bracket (individuals with a mean age at death of 38 years), whereas other reports included older male individuals among whom a higher prevalence of coronary artery disease was expected.
Mary Sheppard and colleagues cautioned that they did not include survivors of sudden cardiac arrests in their report (person did not die), nor did they examine deaths after sex that were not attributed to SCD.
Surprise!
Maybe this was the place to talk about erectile dysfunction, vaginal dryness or incontinence—health issues which can lead to problems in the marriage bed.
But instead, I have an idea, which is to share a very naughty poem by John Wilmot, aka. The Second Earl of Rochester. It’s called Song Of A Young Lady To Her Ancient Lover… I love it and it is perhaps more appropriate for we older folk than the youthful, romantic drivel that’s so common today!
Dashing John Wilmot (1647 – 1680), a watercolor by Marina Cardoso
Ancient person, for whom I
All the flattering youth defy,
Long be it ere thou grow old,
Aching, shaking, crazy, cold;
But still continue as thou art,
Ancient person of my heart.
[verse 2 omitted]
Thy nobler part, which but to name
In our sex would be counted shame, [Penis, of course]
By age’s frozen grasp possessed,
From [his] ice shall be released,
And soothed by my reviving hand,
In former warmth and vigor stand.
All a lover’s wish can reach
For thy joy my love shall teach,
And for thy pleasure shall improve
All that art can add to love.
Yet still I love thee without art,
Ancient person of my heart.
Lovely stuff!
Well, that’s it till the New Year! Make sure you get off to a good start.
To Your Good Health,
Prof. Keith Scott-Mumby
The Official Alternative Doctor
Source Reference: Finocchiaro G, et al “Association of sexual intercourse with sudden cardiac death in young individuals in the United Kingdom” JAMA 2022; DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2021.5532.
