PVC's during sexual activity

[Michaelccc]

Someone please help me with this i feel like i can't function anymore

i'm 34 male white.  5'5 160 pounds. smoke pack and half for 15 years. don't drink don't do drugs. i suffer from panic attacks for over a decade. never felt pvcs until about 3 months ago. my aunt died of cancer and from the grieving i felt pvcs . although in the past i felt a pvc like maybe once  a year. now i feel them daily. i did a thalium stress test, echo, holter and blood work. holter showed isolated pvcs. i had 2 holters. first 24 hours showed 8 pvcs. second one for 48 hours showed 33 pvcs and some pacs. even though the second one was 48 hours that is still more pvcs. now im planning to have another holter because the pvcs seem to be increasing even more. i'm not sure whethers its my anxiety of them them makes them increase but either way i'm scared to death. i read about sudden cardiac death and my life has been at a stand still. i quit my job. i can't smile or even go outside without fear of every symtom. i may have sleep apnea although not confirmed by doctor yet. in any case my pvcs sometimes happen when i lean forward. when i suddenly move, when i eat a heavy meal, or simply have a bad thought. but here is my biggest concern. most of my pvcs happen during sex or masturbation. when i do either one of those i hold my breath. is there any connection to holding breath and sexual activity and does having pvcs mostly during sexual activity put me at risk for sudden cardiac death does it increase my chances for a cardiac event? the cardio i saw didnt seem concerned , chalked it up to anxiety. once and for all are these pvcs dangerous in a person of my health background? should i stop having sex if the pvcs keep coming? if i don't stop will the pvcs get worse and maybe lead to a serious arrythmia? also i should mention one ER doc pointed to my earlier holter and put down possible wolf parkinson white syndrome. the cardio didnt make anything of that though. please help i feel like i'm paralized from fear of this stuff

[deedle1976]

I would expect sex isn't the same as simple exercise in terms of what's going on in the body. I don't know the biology but I would imagine the state of arousal along with the vasodilation required to maintain an erection could perhaps have a stimulatory affect on the heart.

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

i know how scared you must be , i remember when i was 23 and got my first pvc/pac, wow i started making my plans for my two young boys who would take care of them and how i would miss every thing they did because i just knew i was going to die withthe next palp, but it is now 23 years later and am still here and did raise my babies to fine young men.   there is nothing worse than your main organ to act up, its your life line and well it really needs to stop it , but it will do as it wants i have found that out. i must be strange because my pac do not come with stress, they come because they want to, and i do not have them all year, i get them for 2-3 months at a time 24/7 6-7 a min than they go away for a year and come back just like i said. so it bothers me that everyone seems to get them from stress where i dont, why am not sure ive been under lots anxiety this year took nerve pills to get my body back under control but no pac from the anxiety and belive me this has been the worse anxiety ive ever had. so why if i havepac dont they do like every body elsa and come with stress? first you needget a job dont stay at home thats all you will think about , dont you have to work, sounds like you have a bad case of anxiety and i can tell you if you dont get that under control your life will be non-exist, that will take you down go get help , get a med to help you get back on feet and try not to worry about the palps they were on holtor you have done test dr says your ok you have to belive him. have sex enjoy life live it dont let this stop you. i did when it first started and stayed in the house didnt want to go anywhere scared it might happen and who would help me, i learned it was not going to kill me after 2 years of not living and 6 doctors telling me i was ok. see a dr get a anxiety med and maybe go on a b-blocker mine is great but you still get them sometimes pills wont take them all away but they do help.i hope your days get better . we are here for you been there  and know how it helps to talk to others who are going through what your going throught. God Bless you . Barbara

[Michaelccc]

So what you all are saying is that holding breath during sex and getting pvc's is normal?  i mean i usually have to stop having sex when this happens. what if i don't will they get more and more frequent. and won't them getting more frequent turn into something bigger like a new electric line formed and new natural pacemaker formed? atrial tachy? or ventricular tachy? i still don't get this. why not during exersize like treadmill test but sex brings them on while holding breath.

[deedle1976]

Just to reassure you that what your'e feeling is normal. Studies have shown that approx 5% of the general popultaion have >300 PVCs per day.4% have >500 per day and 2.7% have  >1000 per day.
I hope you can begin to accept these as totally normal and not let the anxiety take over your like. I know they feel really horrible and can cause awful panic but when you feel worried look around you at the people you pas on the street, or work with and remind yourself that a very large proportion of them have many more PVCs than you do and they are not dropping dead.

[anacyde]

When I was getting exclusively activity-related palpitations my cardiologist assured me I was fine.  The scary stats you're concerned about are typically about people with heart failure, coronary artery disease or some structural abnormality.  In a normal healthy heart, PVCs at activity or rest are not significant.  I know it's hard to believe (and REALLY annoying during sex) but it won't hurt you.

[PVC man]

I have had PVCs for over 20 years and PVCs frequently happen during sex.  They also can happen during any physical activity that is sudden or accompanied by emotion.

Quick story: I have a stress echo every year and in past years NEVER got PVCs during testing. This past December I was on treadmill and started to get PVCs.  My cardioogist said..."keep going...if your going to have a heart attack this is the place to have it."  I REALLY felt like I failed big time.  

As the test proceeded, excercise level increased and PVCs STOPPED.  I still thought I failed because I didn't feel any normal beats between PVCs.  My cardio said I did GREAT and that the PVCs were nothing because I had plenty of normal beats in between...he said to get out there and RUN...

Now,to make a long story longer, I have enjoyed jogging many years...it used to be that I could just take off down the sreet at full run with no problem.  With age I have found that if I try that I get PVCs.  So, now I WALK two laps and then begin a slow jog...it works like a charm and I can run 2-3 miles with no PVCs. and if I DO get PVCs I just slow it down and walk awhile.

I read a great article that people prone to PVCs should NEVER take off and run up aflight of stairs because that will often bring on PVCs.  They will not drop dead but they will be uncomfortable so...just take it easy and "build up!"

So I guess what I am saying is in relation to sex...it can't hurt to start slow also...your partner won't mind...but seriously I do get them during sex...they are disconcerting but like ticker tock says sometimes you feel stronger once you work through it. It just means thre hormones are flyin'.

Be calm and stay well.