Kelly Ripa is opening up about her sex life with husband Mark Consuelos in her memoir "Live Wire: Long Winded Short Stories," out September 27.
The "Live with Kelly and Ryan" host wrote that in 1997, about six months after the birth of her first child, she passed out during sex because of large cysts on her ovaries. When she woke up, she was in the emergency room.
In an excerpt from the chapter "Don't Let Your Husband Pick Your Death Clothes" shared by Haute Living, Ripa bemoans the fashion choice her husband made for her when she was unconscious.
"Also, here is my husband, who is, dare I say, stylish, well-dressed at all times, and yet he dressed me like a dime store prostitute in my time of need," she wrote "It's still baffling to me to this day that this is the best costume for the day that he could find for me, to the point where, when I was on the stretcher, I thought I was dreaming; I was having a nightmare. I didn't realize I had come to."
"Sex can be so traumatic I think, and yet one of us is completely undaunted," she added. "There he is, happily munching on the saltines now and ordering a second apple juice. Mark could be at a movie, or a spa. Instead, I'm flat on my back wondering when the other two cysts will burst."
Ripa is not shy when it comes to discussing her intimacy with Consuelos. In 2020, she confirmed her husband is well-endowed after fans commented on a photo Ripa shared. The two also admitted they solve all of their marital problems with "sexy time."
Ovaries are the female reproductive organs where eggs develop, mature, and are released each month. Cysts, or sacs usually filled with fluid, commonly develop on them and pose no problems. Often, women are unaware that they have ovarian cysts, which usually go away on their own, according to the Mayo Clinic.
But sometimes, cysts can rupture, causing bleeding and pain. Vigorous activity like sex can increase the risk of rupture, the Mayo Clinic says. "Lightheadedness or weakness" is one sign that a cyst has burst and is leading to shock.
In these cases, immediate treatment is needed, Hopkins Medicine says. At the hospital, clinicians may give patients IV pain medication and fluids, or, if necessary, conduct surgery to prevent dangerous levels of internal bleeding.
It's unclear how Ripa's cysts were treated, or even if they burst at all.