‘I collapse every time I orgasm’: Mother-of-four falls to the floor every time she laughs, cries or gets angry


  • Anita Wainwright suffers the rare medical condition cataplexy
  • It causes her to collapse when she experiences strong emotions including anger and laughter meaning she avoids sad films and comedy shows
  • 45-year-old suffered her first attack five years ago but was just diagnosed
  • Two years ago she said a vigorous bout of sex caused her to collapse
  • She said: ‘It was really embarrassing the first time and it kept happening’
  • Mother-of-four said she can’t go out alone for fear of suffering an attack
  • Doctors are testing different medications to try and control her condition

By
Lizzie Parry for MailOnline

View
comments

Anita Wainwright suffers a rare condition, cataplexy, which causes her to collapse when she has sex

A mother-of-four collapses every time she has sex due to a rare medical condition.

Anita Wainwright is liable to fall to the floor whenever she experiences an orgasm, or other heightened emotions, including anger, surprise and joy.

Five years ago, the now 45-year-old suddenly developed the illness cataplexy – a form of narcolepsy.

She first collapsed while giggling with one of her sisters in the middle of the road.

But Ms Wainwright claims the condition has now progressed to the point where she collapses after sex.

That was two years ago, and since then the mother-of-four says she has avoided getting close to another partner.

The condition, which was formally diagnosed this year, is an episode of muscular weakness triggered by strong emotions.

The loss of muscle control can range from weakness at the knees to total collapse on the floor.

Attacks can last between a few seconds and two minutes, with some sufferers experiencing repeated attacks over a 30-minute period.

For Ms Wainwright, laughing with friends can trigger an attack, while she has to steer clear of her favourite tearjerker films or comedy shows, for fear of collapsing.

The mother to Dale, 23, twins Laura and Leah, 21, and Dean 20, told MailOnline: ‘I haven’t got a sexual partner now but around two years ago I did.

‘We were having sex and I was having an orgasm when I collapsed. It was the cataplexy.

‘He was understanding but I know not all men would be.

‘It was really embarrassing the first time… and it kept happening. I’ve not been with anyone since.’

She said her decision to remain celibate was not due to her unusual reaction to sex. But she said she is limited in what she can do and doesn’t work.

‘An upsetting film, a joke – I’m on the floor,’ she said.

‘If I’m gassing with my sisters Maxine or Loretta, I’m then having a seizure.’

Doctors initially thought her repeated collapses were due to joint problems, before brain tests revealed the much more unusual cause.

The mother-of-four first suffered an attack five years ago, after laughing with her sister she collapsed in the street. The condition is triggered by any strong emotion, including anger, sadness and joy

She said: ‘I never go anywhere on my own because if I see something funny and laugh, I will fall over. My sisters have to go everywhere with me.

‘A lot of people don’t understand. It scares them.

‘People are more supportive in America.’

She said doctors were trying her on new medicine in the hope of controlling her condition.

‘I never go anywhere on my own because if I see something funny and laugh, I will fall over’

– Anita Wainwright

The charity Narcolepsy UK said: ‘Cataplexy is an episode of muscular weakness triggered by strong emotions such as laughter, anger and surprise.

‘The loss of muscle tone ranges from a just-perceptible weakening of the facial muscles through weakness at the knees, to total collapse on the floor.

‘Speech is slurred, eyesight impaired (double vision, inability to focus) but hearing and awareness remain undisturbed. Attacks often last less than two minutes, and they may only last a few seconds.

‘Some people have repeated attacks of cataplexy which persist for up to 30 minutes. During both mild and severe attacks, the person stays fully conscious.’

Comments (0)

what you think

No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.

Find out now