Defecation syncope occurs when an individual loses consciousness temporarily during a bowel movement. Syncope refers to this brief loss of awareness. Various situations can trigger such a response, including getting blood drawn, straining during urination (known as micturition syncope), defecating, coughing, or swallowing. Emotional responses like fear or pain can also provoke this reaction. In these scenarios, individuals often experience paleness, nausea, sweating, and weakness right before fainting.This condition results from a reflex in the autonomic nervous system called the vasovagal response. This reflex causes the heart rate to decrease (bradycardia) and simultaneously prompts the blood vessels in the legs to dilate (widen). Consequently, the heart pumps less blood, leading to a drop in blood pressure, and the circulating blood is more likely to pool in the legs rather than reach the brain. This deprives the brain of oxygen, triggering the fainting spell.The vasovagal response is sometimes referred to as a vasovagal attack. Situational syncope is another term for vasovagal syncope, and it is occasionally named Gower's syncope, in honor of Sir William Richard Gower (1845-1915), a renowned English neurologist. Gower's name is also linked to a sign, a solution, another syndrome, and a tract in the nervous system.
