ABSTRACT
Response of the cardiovascular system to coitus and other sexual activity has been the subject of a number of studies in the recent past. These studies have been conducted against the backdrop of a popular “mythology” in both the lay and health-care provider communities concerning the intensity of the physiologic response to coitus and orgasm, and the belief that sexual activity represents a significant risk in patients with known or occult coronary artery disease. In part, this perception was fostered by the work of Bartlett in 1956 (1) and Masters and Johnson in 1966 (2). These groups were among the first to study heart rate and blood pressures (BPs) in unmarried student couples engaging in coitus in a “private” laboratory room.
