diff --git a/src/_pytest/capture.py b/src/_pytest/capture.py
index c140757c4fd..482483ff9d9 100644
--- a/src/_pytest/capture.py
+++ b/src/_pytest/capture.py
@@ -40,6 +40,12 @@ def pytest_addoption(parser):
         dest="capture",
         help="shortcut for --capture=no.",
     )
+    parser.addini(
+        "capture_suspend_on_stdin",
+        "Suspend capturing when stdin is being read from.",
+        type="bool",
+        default=False,
+    )
 
 
 @pytest.hookimpl(hookwrapper=True)
@@ -50,7 +56,8 @@ def pytest_load_initial_conftests(early_config, parser, args):
     _colorama_workaround()
     _readline_workaround()
     pluginmanager = early_config.pluginmanager
-    capman = CaptureManager(ns.capture)
+    suspend_on_stdin = early_config.getini("capture_suspend_on_stdin")
+    capman = CaptureManager(ns.capture, suspend_on_stdin)
     pluginmanager.register(capman, "capturemanager")
 
     # make sure that capturemanager is properly reset at final shutdown
@@ -86,10 +93,11 @@ class CaptureManager(object):
       case special handling is needed to ensure the fixtures take precedence over the global capture.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, method):
+    def __init__(self, method, suspend_on_stdin=False):
         self._method = method
         self._global_capturing = None
         self._current_item = None
+        self._suspend_on_stdin = suspend_on_stdin
 
     def __repr__(self):
         return "<CaptureManager _method=%r _global_capturing=%r _current_item=%r>" % (
@@ -100,9 +108,32 @@ def __repr__(self):
 
     def _getcapture(self, method):
         if method == "fd":
-            return MultiCapture(out=True, err=True, Capture=FDCapture)
+            if self._suspend_on_stdin:
+
+                def in_(fd, multicapture):
+                    assert fd == 0, fd
+                    syscapture = SysCapture(
+                        fd, tmpfile=SysStdinCapture(multicapture=multicapture)
+                    )
+                    return FDCapture(0, stdin_syscapture=syscapture)
+
+            else:
+                in_ = True
+            return MultiCapture(out=True, err=True, in_=in_, Capture=FDCapture)
+
         elif method == "sys":
-            return MultiCapture(out=True, err=True, Capture=SysCapture)
+            if self._suspend_on_stdin:
+
+                def in_(fd, multicapture):
+                    assert fd == 0, fd
+                    return SysCapture(
+                        fd, tmpfile=SysStdinCapture(multicapture=multicapture)
+                    )
+
+            else:
+                in_ = True
+            return MultiCapture(out=True, err=True, in_=in_, Capture=SysCapture)
+
         elif method == "no":
             return MultiCapture(out=False, err=False, in_=False)
         raise ValueError("unknown capturing method: %r" % method)  # pragma: no cover
@@ -450,7 +481,10 @@ class MultiCapture(object):
 
     def __init__(self, out=True, err=True, in_=True, Capture=None):
         if in_:
-            self.in_ = Capture(0)
+            if in_ is True:
+                self.in_ = Capture(0)
+            else:
+                self.in_ = in_(0, multicapture=self)
         if out:
             self.out = Capture(1)
         if err:
@@ -527,7 +561,7 @@ class FDCaptureBinary(object):
 
     EMPTY_BUFFER = b""
 
-    def __init__(self, targetfd, tmpfile=None):
+    def __init__(self, targetfd, tmpfile=None, stdin_syscapture=None):
         self.targetfd = targetfd
         try:
             self.targetfd_save = os.dup(self.targetfd)
@@ -538,7 +572,10 @@ def __init__(self, targetfd, tmpfile=None):
             if targetfd == 0:
                 assert not tmpfile, "cannot set tmpfile with stdin"
                 tmpfile = open(os.devnull, "r")
-                self.syscapture = SysCapture(targetfd)
+                if stdin_syscapture is None:
+                    self.syscapture = SysCapture(targetfd)
+                else:
+                    self.syscapture = stdin_syscapture
             else:
                 if tmpfile is None:
                     f = TemporaryFile()
@@ -663,6 +700,64 @@ def snap(self):
         return res
 
 
+class SysStdinCapture(CaptureIO):
+    """Wrap CaptureIO to suspend on read."""
+
+    def __init__(self, multicapture, *args):
+        self.multicapture = multicapture
+        assert isinstance(multicapture, MultiCapture), multicapture
+
+        super(SysStdinCapture, self).__init__(*args)
+
+    def __repr__(self):
+        return "<SysStdinCapture multicapture=%r>" % (self.multicapture,)
+
+    @property
+    def _syscapture(self):
+        try:
+            return self.multicapture.in_.syscapture
+        except AttributeError:
+            return self.multicapture.in_
+
+    def _suspend_on_read(self, method, *args):
+        # TODO: would be nice to have this in the original order, not split
+        # by stdout/stderr.  Let's have stderr first at least, given that
+        # prompts go to stdout usually.
+
+        # self.multicapture.pop_outerr_to_orig()
+        self.multicapture.out.writeorg(
+            "=== Suspending capturing due to stdin being read ===\n"
+        )
+        out, err = self.multicapture.readouterr()
+        if err:
+            # NOTE: this writes to stderr.  Not sure about this.
+            self.multicapture.err.writeorg("=== stderr ===\n")
+            self.multicapture.err.writeorg(err)
+        if out:
+            self.multicapture.out.writeorg("=== stdout ===\n")
+            self.multicapture.out.writeorg(out)
+        self.multicapture.suspend_capturing(in_=True)
+
+        f = getattr(self._syscapture._old, method)
+        r = f(*args)
+        return r
+
+    def isatty(self):
+        return self._syscapture._old.isatty()
+
+    def read(self, *args):
+        return self._suspend_on_read("read", *args)
+
+    def readline(self, *args):
+        return self._suspend_on_read("readline", *args)
+
+    def readlines(self, *args):  # Required for py2.
+        return self._suspend_on_read("readlines", *args)
+
+    def fileno(self):
+        return self._syscapture._old.fileno()
+
+
 class DontReadFromInput(six.Iterator):
     """Temporary stub class.  Ideally when stdin is accessed, the
     capturing should be turned off, with possibly all data captured
diff --git a/testing/test_capture.py b/testing/test_capture.py
index fa0bad5fca0..29a32e7ddf4 100644
--- a/testing/test_capture.py
+++ b/testing/test_capture.py
@@ -1565,3 +1565,95 @@ def test_fails():
         )
     else:
         assert result_with_capture.ret == 0
+
+
+def test_suspend_on_read_from_stdin(testdir):
+    p1 = testdir.makepyfile(
+        """
+        import sys
+
+        def test():
+            print("prompt_1")
+            assert input() == "input_1"
+
+            print("prompt_2")
+            assert sys.stdin.read() == "input_2\\nsecond_line\\n"
+
+            print("prompt_3")
+            assert sys.stdin.readline() == "input_3\\n"
+
+            print("prompt_4")
+            assert sys.stdin.readlines() == ["input_4\\n", "second_line\\n"]
+
+            print("after_" + "input: OK")
+
+            print("is_atty: %d" % sys.stdin.isatty())
+    """
+    )
+    child = testdir.spawn_pytest("-o capture_suspend_on_stdin=1 %s" % p1)
+    child.expect("prompt_1")
+    child.sendline("input_1")
+
+    child.expect("prompt_2")
+    child.sendline("input_2")
+    child.sendline("second_line")
+    child.sendeof()
+
+    child.expect("prompt_3")
+    child.sendline("input_3")
+
+    child.expect("prompt_4")
+    child.sendline("input_4")
+    child.sendline("second_line")
+    child.sendeof()
+
+    child.expect("after_input: OK")
+    rest = child.read().decode("utf8")
+    assert "is_atty: 1" in rest
+    assert "1 passed in" in rest
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("method", ("fd", "sys"))
+def test_sysstdincapture(method, testdir):
+    p1 = testdir.makepyfile(
+        """
+        import pytest
+        from _pytest.capture import CaptureManager, MultiCapture, SysStdinCapture
+
+        def test_inner():
+            method = {method!r}
+
+            capman = CaptureManager(method, suspend_on_stdin=True)
+            multicapture = capman._getcapture(method)
+            in_ = multicapture.in_
+            if method == "sys":
+                f = in_.tmpfile
+            else:
+                f = in_.syscapture.tmpfile
+            assert isinstance(f, SysStdinCapture)
+
+            assert not f.isatty()
+
+            assert f.read() == ""
+            assert f.readlines() == []
+
+            # XXX: fails on py2.
+            # > next(iter_f)
+            # E IOError: readline() should have returned an str object, not 'str'
+            import sys
+            if sys.version_info > (3,):
+                iter_f = iter(f)
+                with pytest.raises(StopIteration):
+                    next(iter_f)
+
+            assert f.fileno() == 0
+            f.close()
+        """.format(
+            method=method
+        )
+    )
+    result = testdir.runpytest_subprocess(
+        str(p1), "-s"  # Pass through stdin, we're not testing suspending here.
+    )
+    assert result.ret == 0
+    assert "1 passed in" in result.stdout.str()