Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOutpatient or Inpatient SurgeryType of SurgeryQuestions to Ask Your DoctorQuestions for You and Your PartnerUse Pain as Your GuideType of Sex Matters
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Outpatient or Inpatient Surgery
Type of Surgery
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
Questions for You and Your Partner
Use Pain as Your Guide
Type of Sex Matters
The question of when you can have sex after surgery is not straightforward. It depends on your overall health, yourpost-surgical healing progress, and the type of surgery.
The timeline for when you can have sex after surgery ranges from the same day to several months. A procedure under local anesthesia, for example, won’t require a wait. Sex after open-heart surgery, on the other hand, won’t be safe for several weeks or months.
This article discusses how long after surgery you should wait to have sex. It also provides questions to ask your healthcare provider to make sure you can safely have sex following a surgical procedure.
When you are scheduling your surgery, your healthcare provider will tell you whether your surgery can be done as an outpatient, like at a surgical center, or as an inpatient, in the operating room of a hospital.
Typically speaking,outpatient (ambulatory) surgerytends to require less healing time. This means it may be safe to have sex within a couple of days or a week.
On the other hand,inpatient surgerytends to be more extensive than outpatient surgery. In this case, you may need to wait several weeks or months before returning to sexual activities, depending on the type of surgery.
The type of surgery will also affect when you can engage in sexual activities again.
Minor Surgery
Minor surgery that uses local anesthesia, like a smallskin cancerremoval, doesn’t need to interfere with your sex life. As long as you are not in pain, you don’t have to wait to have sex after minor surgery.
Eye Surgery
After cataract surgery, you should wait at least one week to have sex.For laser refractive surgery, like Lasik, you only need to wait two or three days.
Laparoscopic Surgery
Laparoscopicsurgery involves smaller incisions compared to open surgery, so recovery and wound healing is usually faster, allowing you to get back to all activities, including sex, sooner.
Reproductive Surgeries
Surgeries that affect the reproductive organs, such as ahysterectomy,prostate surgery, or any surgery directly involving the penis or vagina, may require four to six weeks of recovery before you are able to engage in sex.
Childbirth can also delay the return to sexual intercourse, with or without acesarean section.
After adilation and curettage(D&C) for amiscarriage, you need to wait at least two weeks to have sex.
Abdominal Surgery
Sex after abdominal surgeries, such as gallbladder surgery,appendectomy(appendix removal), ortummy tuck, will depend on how long it takes for the incision to heal and the pain to subside.
Initially, it will be important to avoid putting weight or pressure on the wound area.
In these cases, it is best to consult your surgeon or healthcare provider and ask specifically when it’s safe to have sexual intercourse. Even if you feel embarrassed, it’s better to ask than not know and be anxious about it.
Heart Surgery
After some major surgeries, such asopen-heart surgery, you may feel fully recovered but are at risk when you exert yourself too much. If the sternum is well healed, guidelines recommend that sexual activity may be safely resumed six to eight weeks after surgery.
However, sex and physical activity after heart surgery are not just dependent on the sternum healing but also on how the heart is recovering. Talk to your surgeon or healthcare provider to discuss any risk factors specific to you.
If your healthcare provider cautions you against strenuous activity such as running, brisk aerobic activity, or shoveling snow, you should consider that a caution for having sex as well.
Questions to Ask Your Healthcare Provider
Besides general questions about having sex, you may have more specific questions for your healthcare provider. Sample questions may include:
A Word From VerywellIt’s important to discuss any post-surgical activity restrictions with your surgeon prior to the procedure so that all questions can be addressed. Many factors, such as pre-surgical health status, location and extensiveness of the procedure, pain level, and energy level all contribute to a post-surgical activity plan. Open communication with your provider is key to proceeding in a medically safe manner.—ALEXIS APPELSTEIN, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
It’s important to discuss any post-surgical activity restrictions with your surgeon prior to the procedure so that all questions can be addressed. Many factors, such as pre-surgical health status, location and extensiveness of the procedure, pain level, and energy level all contribute to a post-surgical activity plan. Open communication with your provider is key to proceeding in a medically safe manner.—ALEXIS APPELSTEIN, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
It’s important to discuss any post-surgical activity restrictions with your surgeon prior to the procedure so that all questions can be addressed. Many factors, such as pre-surgical health status, location and extensiveness of the procedure, pain level, and energy level all contribute to a post-surgical activity plan. Open communication with your provider is key to proceeding in a medically safe manner.
—ALEXIS APPELSTEIN, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
In addition to resuming sex, you may have other questions regarding intimacy with your partner. For example, do you and your partner even feel like having sex? Do you and your partner have enough energy?
It’s good to have an open, honest conversation with your partner about the importance of healing. This is best done before the surgery so they are prepared.
Even if you are approved for sex, be sure to use pain as your guide. In other words, if it’s painful when you try to have intercourse, this is your body’s way of saying you are not ready and that you need to heal more first.
But in some cases, pain can be avoided with some minor adjustments.For example, a person who has hadbreast surgerymay be particularly sensitive to bouncing movements. Thus, being in a position on top may cause too much movement and pain. But alternative positions may be pain-free.
The type of sex comes into play when your healthcare provider gives you the green light to have intercourse. Keep in mind vigorous, athletic sex is not the ideal way to ease back into your sex life after surgery, so start slowly.
Here are some other options:
Think ahead to try to minimize any pain or discomfort. Still, try to enjoy yourself. If you experience pain, stop andchange positionsor try something different.
Pain means you are doing too much too soon. This should be considered a warning sign.
Summary
In general, it will take longer to return to an active sex life if your surgery was a major one. After a surgery such as open-heart surgery or a joint replacement, it will take longer before you’re healed enough to have sex.
Minor procedures typically allow you to return to normal activities much faster, sometimes within days or weeks. There are exceptions, so it’s important to talk openly with your surgeon about when you can return to active sex life.
Once you do resume, let pain be your guide. If a particular activity or position hurts, stop or try something else.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Cataract surgery recovery: exercising, driving and other activities.University of California–Los Angelos Health.Laser vision correction FAQs.Jones C, Chan C, Farine D.Sex in pregnancy.CMAJ. 2011;183(7):815-818. doi:10.1503/cmaj.091580Baylor College of Medicine.Sex after open-heart surgery: How soon is too soon?MedlinePlus.Vaginal dryness.Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School.When sex gives more pain than pleasure.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Cataract surgery recovery: exercising, driving and other activities.University of California–Los Angelos Health.Laser vision correction FAQs.Jones C, Chan C, Farine D.Sex in pregnancy.CMAJ. 2011;183(7):815-818. doi:10.1503/cmaj.091580Baylor College of Medicine.Sex after open-heart surgery: How soon is too soon?MedlinePlus.Vaginal dryness.Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School.When sex gives more pain than pleasure.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Cataract surgery recovery: exercising, driving and other activities.University of California–Los Angelos Health.Laser vision correction FAQs.Jones C, Chan C, Farine D.Sex in pregnancy.CMAJ. 2011;183(7):815-818. doi:10.1503/cmaj.091580Baylor College of Medicine.Sex after open-heart surgery: How soon is too soon?MedlinePlus.Vaginal dryness.Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School.When sex gives more pain than pleasure.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Cataract surgery recovery: exercising, driving and other activities.
University of California–Los Angelos Health.Laser vision correction FAQs.
Jones C, Chan C, Farine D.Sex in pregnancy.CMAJ. 2011;183(7):815-818. doi:10.1503/cmaj.091580
Baylor College of Medicine.Sex after open-heart surgery: How soon is too soon?
MedlinePlus.Vaginal dryness.
Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School.When sex gives more pain than pleasure.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
