Episode Details

Episode 100: Sexercise. 

Written by Valerie Civelli, MD. Comments by Namdeep Grewal, MD; and Hector Arreaza, MD.

Have you ever wondered if sex is a good workout? Drs. Civelli, Grewal and Arreaza discuss the topic based on evidence offered by science. 

The following episode is not recommended for young children or people who consider sex a sensitive topic. This is the Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program from Bakersfield, California. Our program is affiliated with UCLA, and it’s sponsored by Clinica Sierra Vista, Let Us Be Your Healthcare Home. 

This podcast was created for educational purposes only. Visit your primary care provider for additional medical advice.

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Sexercise. 
Written by Valerie Civelli, MD. Comments by Namdeep Grewal, MD; and Hector Arreaza, MD.

A: If I say “bow chika wow wow” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The Chipmunks movie right?

B: Yes, exactly, I can hear Alvin in his high-pitched voice, [higher tone] “bowchicka wow wow”. For those of you unfamiliar with this movie, don’t feel too left out because even Alvin was hinting to exactly what you’re thinking.

A: Yep, we’re going there today people.  Let’s talk about sex.  Medically speaking of course. 

B: That’s right because 1. If you’re doing it, your risk for heart attacks and strokes are decreased after age 50 and 2. If you’re not doing it, ask you’re doctor, we should be discussing it and why not.

A: Yes, that is the guideline-directed recommendation actually. We’re recognizing more and more the importance of sexual activity in medicine and its impact on overall health, quality of life and even level of risk for mortality. However, given the sensitive nature of sexuality, few studies have been done to better correlate and define exactly what this means for our health specifically. Sex can be an embarrassing topic to discuss by patients, doctors and researchers which has been largely influenced by culture, religion and other societal norms.  Well, today let’s break this proverbial glass. 

B: I agree, let’s talk about sexuality activity and what research do we have.

A: It has been said that Dr. Masters and Dr. Johnson were the earliest pioneers of this type of investigation. They published the first study of its kind in 1966, which examined the physiological responses of sexual activity. This was an 11-year observational study involving 382 females, ages 18 to 78, and 312 male volunteers, 21 to 89 years of age. The study identified a progressive increase in respiratory rates, up to 40 per minute, an increased heart rate 110 to 180 beats/min and an increase in systolic blood pressure by 30 to 80mmhg during sexual activity. 

In 1970, Hellerstein and Friedman identified the mean heart rate at the time of orgasm was 117.4 beats per minute with a range of 90 to 144. This was done in middle-age men, average age 47.5. Interestingly, the 24-hr ekg monitoring also identified a lower peak post coital heart rate, which was usually lower than the heart rates achieved with normal daily activities (around 120.1 beats per minute). 

In 1984, Bohlen et al. did a racier study with 10 couples using ECG, oxygen consumption (measured using a fast-responding polarographic O2 gas analyzer), heart rate and blood pressure monitoring before and during 4 types of sexual activity. This study obtained data during self-stimulation, partner stimulation, man-on-top and woman-on-top coitus.  The men were aged 25 to 43 years of age.  Results showed that self-stimulation increased the heart rate by 37 % from baseline to orgasm compared with a 51 % increase with man-on-top coitus. 

B: So already it was clear in 1966 to 1984 that physical exertion in the bedroom correlates to physiologic responses like increased heart rate, blood pressu