Adolescents

Take your life into your own hands.

Love and sexuality

In love for the first time, butterflies in your stomach...

A couple of years ago, you probably would rather have hidden away under the table than talked to "HIM" or "HER". Maybe you still want to, but suddenly something changes: You are curious about everything at the same time, you think about him or her all the time and want to be near him or her.

Why do we feel like this when we fall in love? Because it is incredibly important to us that the person we love loves us too - whether we have a perfect body or not.

With or without a scar on our chest, a pacemaker or blue lips.

Now you are floating on cloud nine. You see each other often and are close to becoming a couple. It takes two to build a relationship. Whether it goes well and how it all turns out depends on both of you.

The key to a good relationship is to talk to each other. Tell your partner how you feel and talk about what you want and desire. Accepting each other - that's what it's all about. Being able to trust each other. When is it the right time for you to say something about your heart? Just say that you are just like any other person, except with this heart defect. Only you know when the right time has come and you feel comfortable in the relationship.

Maybe he or she has already seen the scar, but didn't dare to ask about it. Or simply asked out of curiosity. But you were just not ready to give the right answer. Don't worry and just talk about it when you are ready. Remember, nobody is perfect.

If you are a girl with a congenital heart defect, you may notice that your menstruation causes you more problems than it does your friends. You may get tired faster, have stronger menstrual pain and lose more blood. How you experience your period depends on your heart defect and its severity. If this bothers you, it is best to talk to your doctor or ask a nurse.

If you are a boy with a congenital heart defect, you may think a lot about your potency.

Does a congenital heart defect perhaps affect it? Indeed, there is some medication for certain heart conditions that can affect potency. It can also lead to cardiac arrhythmia. If you are worried about this or suffer from it, just talk to your doctor about it.

Further Information

A good relationship with a good sex life starts with you being good friends. And you have all the time in the world.

Don't let your friends pressure you into anything. It's better if you talk about sex with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Because it' s personal and it's between the two of you. It may be months before you're ready. Sex is not just something you experience with your body. A lot of it also goes on in your head when you have sex or when you think about it. Sex has a lot to do with feelings.

Take your time and discover your sexuality together.

What happens if I die now?

This thought might plague you if you have a serious heart defect and want to sleep with someone. But it really doesn't make any difference whether you were born with a heart defect or not - except perhaps for a little bit of fear of what happens during orgasm. If you can walk fast for 300 to 400 meters in flat terrain and then climb two flights of stairs - you can have sex.

This is the answer that cardiologists give when young people ask them this question.

Your heart will not stop beating.

You are seeing someone you really like very often, and you have been waiting for this moment for a long time. You know the other person feels the same way. All you have to do is look into each other's eyes... and you'll feel a tingling in your stomach. You feel it's going to happen soon.

Contraception is as much a part of this moment as the tingling in your stomach. When you are ready for sex, you also have to consider how to use contraception and how not to get an STD.

If you have slept with someone without contraception, the condom has torn or you have forgotten to take the pill, there are still contraceptives available for emergencies. To avoid getting pregnant, you must act quickly (within three days of unprotected sex). The woman takes an emergency contraceptive pill or has an emergency contraceptive coil inserted. Both contraceptives must be prescribed by a doctor. However, these contraceptives do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. To protect yourself really well, you should always use a condom.

There are many types of contraception. Some of them can carry certain risks depending on the type of heart defect you have. For example, the pill often raises your blood pressure, so it is not the best choice for certain heart defects. Talk to your doctor about which contraceptive is best for you and your heart.

Whichever contraceptive you choose, it is important that you use it correctly.

If used incorrectly, the contraceptive effect can be impaired and the risk of getting pregnant or contracting a sexually transmitted disease increases.

You can find an overview of contraceptive methods here: www.gesundheit.gv.at