When it comes to the benefits of a healthy sex life, we like to sing them from the rooftops – especially when we learned it could actually save your life. But, as scientists have found, ex can do the exact opposite: it can kill you.

Via The Conversation

But there’s a dark side: people sometimes die during or shortly after sex. The incidence is, thankfully, extremely low and accounts for 0.6% of all cases of sudden death.

There are many reasons why this happens to people. In most cases, it is caused by the physical strain of the sexual activity, or prescription drugs (drugs to treat erectile dysfunction, for example), or illegal drugs, such as cocaine – or both.

The risk of any sudden cardiac death is higher as people age… Recently, however, researchers at St George’s, University of London, found that this phenomenon is not just limited to middle-aged men. The study, which is published in JAMA Cardiology, [found that] 17 [of deaths] (0.2%) occurred either during or within one hour of sexual activity. The average (mean) age of death was 38 years, and 35% of the cases occurred in women, which is higher than in previous studies.

These deaths were typically not caused by heart attacks, as seen in older men. In half of the cases (53%), the heart was found to be structurally normal and a sudden abnormal heart rhythm called sudden arrhythmic death syndrome or Sads was the cause of death

Well, that’s some bummer news for a Monday. On the other hand, if we were gonna go out any way, a quick death while in the middle of an epic booty call might be the way to do it.