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People Wondered If Women In Comas Still Get Their Periods, And An Expert Answered
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People Wondered If Women In Comas Still Get Their Periods, And An Expert Answered

People Wondered If Women In Comas Still Get Their Periods, And An Expert AnsweredDo Women Still Menstruate While In A Coma? Viral Question Leaves Netizens Scratching Their HeadsViral Question About Women’s Periods In A Coma Takes Social Media By Storm, Sparking Jokes“Was That Last Part Necessary?”: Doctor’s Insight On Periods And Pregnancy During Comas Sparks DebateSocial Media Goes Wild Over Whether Women In A Coma Still Get Their Periods“We Can’t Even Go Into A Coma In Peace”: Viral Question Sparks Online Debate
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Do women still get their periods while in a coma? The question took social media by storm after it was posted by user @CloudxRaven last Monday (December 2), garnering almost 24 million views with more than 3,000 users leaving comments ranging from informative to… less informative.

“I’ve never seen a question so good, yet so bizarre,” a user wrote, echoing the sentiments of thousands of netizens scratching their heads at the phenomenon. Some, coming from fields unrelated to gynecology, went as far as to answer the question confidently.

Highlights
  • The question went viral with more than 24 million views.
  • An expert confirmed that women in comas can still menstruate.
  • Dr. Zeon explained that certain bodily functions do not require consciousness.
  • An associated question also went viral, centering around men getting erections while under anesthesia.

“In most cases, menstruation stops during a coma due to changes in the body’s normal functions,” a user stated, only to be proven wrong when Otis Zeon, a Los Angeles physician hailing from South Africa, gave his expert opinion on the matter.

“Menstruation is not controlled by level of consciousness – so they will still get it,” he said. “Also, keep in mind that because the cycle is regular, they can still get pregnant.”

The question of whether women still get their periods while in a coma went viral on social media, with experts revealing what truly happens

Image credits: stock.adobe

Zeon was caught off-guard by the question’s virality. “I didn’t see this going viral—mommy, I’m famous,” he joked. His initial response received more than 32,000 likes. 

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“But on a serious note, it’s shocking to me to see how shocked people are,” the doctor said after confirming that yes, women will still menstruate. At the same time, even in a coma, their bodies, while unresponsive, continue many biological processes that don’t require conscious thought.

Image credits: stock.adobe

Of course, social media, being social media, took this interesting piece of medical information and ran with it—straight into the land of sarcasm.

“It builds up, and they explode,” one user explained confidently. “It’s true! It happened to me last night,” another joked.

“Dang, we can’t even go into a coma in peace,” lamented one reader.

The doctor shared the case of an Arizona woman who, in 2019, gave birth despite being in a vegetative state

Image credits: CloudxRaven

Instead of having their curiosity satisfied, some people went from shocked to dumbfounded as they fixated on the doctor’s extra revelation: that women in a coma can get pregnant.

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“Was the last part really necessary, Doc?” one user asked. “I’m sorry, but it correlates with ovulation and menstruation. It was likely the next question,” Zeon replied.

Image credits: stock.adobe

“What? Get pregnant?! Are you implying she could go full term, assuming her condition doesn’t change, and, if possible, give birth too?” a netizen pondered.

Things took a darker turn when Dr. Zeon linked an article discussing an infamous case where an unresponsive woman in Arizona became pregnant and even gave birth after being raped by a healthcare worker while unresponsive.

Image credits: Kaboompics.com/Pexels

The incident occurred at an assisted living facility in Phoenix, Arizona, in January 2019, when a 29-year-old woman who had been vegetative since she was three became a mother as a result of a 36-year-old nurse taking advantage of her state.

While the case cast a dark shadow over the mostly lighthearted discussion, it nevertheless showed how certain bodily functions still operate without the need for full consciousness.

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An equally bizarre question—this time about the possibility of male patients getting boners while on anesthesia—also went viral with more than 4 million views

Image credits: CloudxRaven

When people were recovering from the previous discussion, the same user went viral the following day (December 3) with another, similarly out of left field question: “Do guys get boners during surgery, or does anesthesia stop that from happening?”

One user quickly jumped in to reply with a nuanced answer: “Anesthesia typically prevents bodily responses like erection, but they can still occur, even if rare,” they said.

According to a 2017 study by the Department of Anesthesia of the Lister Hospital, United Kingdom, the answer is yes, but only on specific procedures and in extremely rare cases.

Image credits: Getty Images/Unsplash

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The phenomenon is known as “intraoperative penile erection” and affects about 0.1% to 2.4% of patients who undergo operations that target the penis specifically, such as transurethral surgery and endoscopic urological surgery.

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Despite being an exceedingly rare occurrence, it can cause complications or the cancellation of these procedures. The study recommends doctors administer a dose of ephedrine via injection to treat unplanned erections as it safely returns the penis to its flaccid state.

The entertaining X account regularly asks strange questions, but none of them have been as popular as the mystery of women in comas and their periods

Image credits: Curated Lifestyle/Unsplash

Netizens who gave serious replies to both questions were quickly overshadowed by a barrage of jokes, with many users wondering what exactly caused @CloudxRaven to ponder such dilemmas.

“These are the very definition of shower thoughts,” one said.

“I’m too worried about my mental stability to worry about a boner,” another stated.

“I’m going to have surgery tomorrow; I’ll let you know if I get a boner or not,” a netizen wrote.

While @CloudxRaven kept trying to go viral with similarly strange and original questions like “Do twins share the same d–k length?” and “What habit feels impossible to break once it starts?” none of them lit the internet’s curiosity in the same way.

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“Damn that’s a decent question,” Netizens not only had fun but also learned a thing or two about human biology thanks to the strange tweets

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Abel Musa Miño

Abel Musa Miño

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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Abel is a journalist at Bored Panda. Born in Santiago, Chile, he holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication and a diploma in International Relations. In his spare time, you can find him tinkering with his motorbike, playing with his dog, or reading a good novel.

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Abel Musa Miño

Abel Musa Miño

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Abel is a journalist at Bored Panda. Born in Santiago, Chile, he holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication and a diploma in International Relations. In his spare time, you can find him tinkering with his motorbike, playing with his dog, or reading a good novel.

Donata Leskauskaite

Donata Leskauskaite

Author, BoredPanda staff

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Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

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Donata Leskauskaite

Donata Leskauskaite

Author, BoredPanda staff

Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

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Kylie Anderson
Community Member
6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“Taken advantage of”?!!!! He RAPED a comatose woman in a vegetative state- words are important and it’s disgusting you’d think for even a second that it’s okay to say she was taken advantage of (I.e somehow participated in it/consented)! Mate, don’t give up your day job because you’re no journalist!

John Harrison
Community Member
6 days ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

1. "Taken advantage of" doesn't imply consent. Just the opposite. 2. In the "author"'s defense, maybe BP has guidelines about what word can be used — and THAT would be mildly disgusting if they forbade the use of the word "rape". I don't care how many of your advertisers get weepy about uncomfortable words being used. If you're not going to say "rape" or "sexual battery", then stick to posting pics of cute puppies. Calling rape "taken advantage of" is a slap in the face to the victim. 3. Whoever downvoted you can go F themselves.

Load More Replies...
Angie May
Community Member
6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This kinda says more about how generally uneducated people are about their own bodies than anything else. Which isn't an insult against them, more of a sad side effect of how poorly anything having to do remotely with sex ed is taught, at least that's the case here in America. Something that naturally occurs in half the population's bodies is treated like it's taboo.

Captain Grump
Community Member
6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Meh, I have to say I'm pretty ignorant about bodily functions that do or do not occur in a coma. Do eyes produce tears to keep them moist? Do the bowels function? Does the patient cough to clear the lungs? Stuff like that. I don't think a question about menstruation in a comatose state reflects ignorance about reproductive processes (which exists in abundance, I agree).

Load More Replies...
Surly Scot
Community Member
6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tell me your country has terrible sex education without telling me your country has terrible sex education.

Load More Comments
Kylie Anderson
Community Member
6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“Taken advantage of”?!!!! He RAPED a comatose woman in a vegetative state- words are important and it’s disgusting you’d think for even a second that it’s okay to say she was taken advantage of (I.e somehow participated in it/consented)! Mate, don’t give up your day job because you’re no journalist!

John Harrison
Community Member
6 days ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

1. "Taken advantage of" doesn't imply consent. Just the opposite. 2. In the "author"'s defense, maybe BP has guidelines about what word can be used — and THAT would be mildly disgusting if they forbade the use of the word "rape". I don't care how many of your advertisers get weepy about uncomfortable words being used. If you're not going to say "rape" or "sexual battery", then stick to posting pics of cute puppies. Calling rape "taken advantage of" is a slap in the face to the victim. 3. Whoever downvoted you can go F themselves.

Load More Replies...
Angie May
Community Member
6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This kinda says more about how generally uneducated people are about their own bodies than anything else. Which isn't an insult against them, more of a sad side effect of how poorly anything having to do remotely with sex ed is taught, at least that's the case here in America. Something that naturally occurs in half the population's bodies is treated like it's taboo.

Captain Grump
Community Member
6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Meh, I have to say I'm pretty ignorant about bodily functions that do or do not occur in a coma. Do eyes produce tears to keep them moist? Do the bowels function? Does the patient cough to clear the lungs? Stuff like that. I don't think a question about menstruation in a comatose state reflects ignorance about reproductive processes (which exists in abundance, I agree).

Load More Replies...
Surly Scot
Community Member
6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tell me your country has terrible sex education without telling me your country has terrible sex education.

Load More Comments
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