How to Do It is Slate’s sex advice column. Have a question? Send it to Jessica and Rich here . It’s anonymous!
Dear How to Do It,
I’ve been with my girlfriend for five months, and she does something during sex that I think warrants an evaluation by a medical professional. Every time she has an orgasm, she comes close to blacking out. The first time this happened, I was ready to call 911, but then she came to. She says it’s just a quirk of hers. I say she should get checked out just to be safe. Have you ever heard of anything like this before, and would seeing a doctor be a good idea?
—Orgasm Outages
Dear Orgasm Outages,
Sometimes, yes, fainting during sex can be an indication of a serious condition , like postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS). I empathize with your