Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Not Tonight, Honey, I Have a Stroke

Women apparently have a rare, but real, risk to consider

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 19, 2008 10:35 AM CDT

(Newser) – Women may have a new excuse to avoid hanky panky, the Mom Logic blog notes: the danger of a stroke. It seems a 35-year-old woman suffered one during orgasm, though she has since made a full recovery. Such strokes—caused by a minor heart defect that triggers blod clots during moments of exertion—are extremely rare and more common in men.

"This young woman while having intercourse, had numbness on the left side of her face, slurred speech, and weakness in her left arm," said a neurologist at Loyola University. "When she was transferred to our care six hours after onset, she was completely unable to move her left arm, her face was paralyzed, her speech was garbled, and she was in a state of panic." Aggressive treatment in surgery saved her.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

A 35-year-old woman had to be hospitalized after suffering a 'sex stroke.' (Shutter Stock)

The woman suffered a heart defect common to one in four people known as a patent foramen ovale or PFO. (Shutter Stock)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

If you develop sudden neurological symptoms during sex, it could be a stroke. You need to seek help urgently and go to the emergency room. - Brett L. Cucchiara, director of the Penn Stroke Center at the University of Pennsylvania

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Heart Patients Told Sex Is Safe—but Not Affairs

Risk of dying during sex miniscule for most patients, study finds

(NEWSER) - Having sex is safe for the vast majority of heart patients as long as they use a little common sense, according to a report from the American Heart Association. Fewer than 1% of heart attacks are linked to sex and patients cleared for physical activity and capable of climbing two flights of stairs shouldn't fear that the next time they have sex will be the last, the report found. People with more severe or unstable symptoms should consult their doctors before resuming sex and all patients should avoid combining nitroglycerine with erectile dysfunction drugs. More»

Depression Tied to Stroke Risk in Women

But researchers doubt link is direct

(NEWSER) - Women grappling with depression may face a higher risk of stroke, a study suggests—though the two may not be directly linked. Researchers examined data on 80,000 women between 2000 and 2006; some 22% had depression diagnoses, but none had had a stroke. Over the six years, 1,033 women suffered strokes; researchers calculated a 29% increased risk of stroke for those with depression. But the researchers caution that depression itself may not have been the cause, the BBC reports. More»

Coffee, Sex, Nose-Blowing Linked to Strokes

Exercise can also trigger ruptured aneurysm, study finds

(NEWSER) - A new study suggests some strange stroke risk factors: coffee, sex, exercise, and ... nose-blowing? All could lead to a burst blood vessel in the brain. The activities increase blood pressure, which boosts the risk of a ruptured aneurysm, says the Dutch study of 250 patients over three years. Coffee triggered more than one in 10 burst aneurysms, a high percentage that researchers attribute to how common, not how risky, an activity it is; in fact, coffee drinkers' risk was only 1.7 times greater than that of non-drinkers, the BBC reports. More»

Coffee May Lower Women's Stroke Risk

A cup a day keeps the doctor away: study

(NEWSER) - Good news for committed coffee drinkers: For women, a cup a day may lower stroke risk, a study suggests. In the 10-year Swedish study, women who drank at least a cup daily had a 22% to 25% lower stroke risk than those who had less or none. So java drinkers, "rejoice," said a Mayo Clinic doctor. "Coffee is often made out to be potentially bad for your heart. There really hasn't been any study that convincingly said coffee is bad." More»

Diet Soda's Dark Side: Heart Attacks, Strokes

But more research needed, some caution

(NEWSER) - The well-documented evils of soda have led many people to switch to diet—but even that could be bad for your health, a new study suggests. About 2,500 adults in the New York area were studied for almost 10 years, and those who drank diet soda every day had a 48% higher risk of stroke or heart attack than those who drank no soda at all. Oddly, those who drank both diet and regular soda weren’t found to have any significant differences in risk. One doctor says the findings should be “a wake-up call to pay attention to diet sodas,” but a lead researcher cautions that this study is “too preliminary to suggest any dietary advice” and that more research is called for. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Not Tonight, Honey, I Have a Stroke