Fainting during period?

Hey everyone,

I don't hang out in this corner of the forum much since I’m pretty healthy myself, but I’m getting really worried about a friend. She just ended up back in the ER after collapsing at her place.

This is like the tenth time she's been rushed to the emergency room—they just give her some fluids and send her right back home. No real tests, no follow-ups, nothing. 🤷

The pattern is always the same: she gets her period, waits maybe three or four hours, and then suddenly her blood pressure just bottoms out. She can't function, she's shaking, breathing shallowly... she even threw up once. 😢

It honestly looks like she's going into some kind of posthemorrhagic shock! 😲
I did a little digging online and saw stuff about posthemorrhagic anemia, so maybe that's what we're looking at here?

What do you guys think? Has anyone dealt with anything like this before? 🤷

Thanks!

Because of those spikes in prostaglandin levels during a period, it's pretty common for young women to deal with intense cramping, fainting spells, or even vomiting

It’s also entirely possible that some of the issue isn't strictly physiological, but rather stems from being a little bit "unsettled" emotionally...

I’ve actually fainted before from the sheer intensity of the pain—mostly due to low blood pressure and some mild anemia—though that doesn't happen often. That said, I have dealt with vomiting caused by severe cramps more than a few times. If you look at the fluctuations throughout the year, some months just bring an absolutely brutal period.

Honestly, a friend in this situation really ought to see a gynecologist, and the first thing they should probably do is run an ultrasound via the Red Cross medical guidelines or similar diagnostic standards. If this is happening frequently, there could be several underlying issues—perhaps adhesions, a narrowed cervical canal, or even just an unusual uterine tilt. It might also simply be an overproduction of prostaglandins, which causes those intense contractions and subsequently restricts blood flow to the uterus. Of course, things like a poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, an irregular sleep schedule, or high stress levels—basically all the "bad habits" we struggle with—can certainly exacerbate the situation.

So, she really should get a professional evaluation. If everything comes back looking "normal," her doctor might suggest birth control pills, which could help dial down the pain—or perhaps eliminate it entirely.

I suppose I experienced something quite similar once. It was all happening at once—nausea, vomiting, dizziness, this persistent ringing in my ears, a racing heart, and then, after all that, I lost consciousness. I actually went into a coma.👎

A friend of mine went through the same thing. Not because of the pain, though—it was actually a sudden drop in blood pressure.

Maria Chase55 said:that happened to me once. At the exact same time, I had diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness, ringing in my ears, a racing heart, and after all that—unconsciousness. A total blackout.👎

Oh, I actually left out the part about the bloating—that tends to happen too. And honestly, the dizziness hits me quite a bit more frequently right at the start of that "red witch" cycle.😁

I’ve actually been through that exact same thing more times than I can count. Before I had kids, every single month felt just as brutal as what your friend is going through right now. Even after endless doctor visits and all sorts of tests, we could never pinpoint an actual cause. I remember one OBGYN telling me that some women just have bodies that react this way to their cycle, while others seem to experience absolutely nothing at all. Once I went through childbirth, though, everything just seemed to shift on its own... the intense cramps, the fainting spells—it all just vanished, and I haven't dealt with it since.

Anyway... but maybe send her some Advil just to be safe....

She could feel like this her entire life, not just during pregnancy like everyone always claims women do... honestly, I’ve always found it bizarre how it seems to just vanish for some people once they give birth... who knows why? 🤷
And look, it's hard to say whether she's reacting to a sudden drop in blood pressure or just intense pain, but it's interesting to note that ketonal and various NSAIDs work wonders for prevention—at least in my experience...
If I didn't have those on hand, I'd be flat on my back three times a day 🤣

Honestly, this happens to me all the time right when my period is starting or even a few days before. My blood pressure just tanks out of nowhere, and I swear everything goes pitch black in front of my eyes. Thank God (well, thank my luck, I guess!) that I’ve got kids now, so I can usually scramble to find a chair or at least lean against something before I go down. My doctor basically told me there isn't much she can do about it other than telling me to eat way more salty snacks on those specific days. It was the exact same thing for my mom back before she had her first kid—we basically have the same issues with our cycles and stuff like that.

Hey, thanks girls. I sent her the link to the thread so she can check out all the replies herself. 🙂

As for the OBGYN, she went, but they didn't do an ultrasound or anything. He just tried to push birth control on her, but she’s totally against it. The last time she took them, they completely trashed her blood work, plus she was having these exact same attacks while she was on them. It's just such a mess. 🤔

I honestly think she should get an ultrasound and finish all those other diagnostic tests before even considering pills. It just doesn't make any sense for Gin to start pushing medication on her without having the full picture first.

Man, I went through the exact same thing. It just kept getting worse as the years rolled by, and honestly, it took forever before doctors finally figured out it was endometriosis.
After my surgery, all five 👍