Research-backed
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Pregnancy is sure a surprise no matter how much you’ve planned and prepared for it. Some women even feel that they are pregnant much before they confirm things with the two pink lines on the stick. We know that there is something that has changed in our body most of the time. However, we cannot trust our intuitions completely because our body can give false signals! Yes, we are talking about false pregnancy here.
What Exactly Is False Pregnancy?
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False pregnancy is known as pseudocyesis in medical terms, and it is also called phantom pregnancy. Pseudocyesis happens when a woman experiences all the typical pregnancy symptoms like weight gain, morning sickness, irritation, a growing belly, and backaches without being actually pregnant (1).
Most of the women who are affected by pseudocyesis actually feel that they are pregnant because of the fact that they experience all the right symptoms of a real pregnancy. The other symptoms include missed periods, frequent urination, swollen breasts, changes in skin and hair, and even sensation of fetal movements inside the belly (2)! According to studies, when these women were given antipsychotic medication as a part of their treatment, they experienced amenorrhea and galactorrhea (3). This reinforces the thought of being pregnant in the patient’s mind. But it’s just the increase in prolactin levels that happens as a result of the medication.
Causes Of Pseudocyesis
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Since false pregnancy is something very rare, not a lot of studies have been conducted in the area. There is a lot more to understand about this phenomenon and how it should be dealt with. While some believe that the cause of pseudocyesis is physical, others believe that it is psychological. The chemical imbalance in the brain, that can be caused due to issues like an ovarian tumor, may trick a woman to feel that she is pregnant (4).
Miscarriage, loss of a child, infertility, and mental breakdown can sometimes affect a woman so bad that she can fall victim to false pregnancy (5). It is one of the most common documented causes of pseudocyesis. The woman wants a baby so bad that she convinces herself that she is pregnant. The chemical imbalance in the brain shows all the right symptoms to make her, and the people around her believe that she’s actually pregnant. Surprisingly, the woman also experiences contractions and labor pain by the end of the term. However, the woman is not really pregnant. There is no baby inside her womb even if she experiences all of these.
Who Can It Affect The Most?
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False pregnancy can occur to any woman. However, research shows that it mainly occurs among infertile couples who have been longing to have a child (6). Also, women who are from developing countries and who experience too much pressure to be fertile and bear children are affected by false pregnancy. Women who are fantasy-prone find interesting ways (like magic or advanced technology) to convince themselves that they are pregnant even if they never had any sexual intercourse!
Men Can Also Experience It
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When a man feels that he is pregnant without really being pregnant, it is called couvade in medical terms (7). Commonly known as sympathetic pregnancy, it occurs when the man’s significant other is actually pregnant. Watching his partner experience aches and other symptoms of pregnancy can affect him to feel so.
Diagnosis And Treatment For False Pregnancy
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False pregnancy is very tricky and can make you believe that you’re pregnant in the most logical way. The only way to know the truth is to consult a doctor. Women who are affected by pseudocyesis dream about growing a baby inside their belly and giving birth. Hence, it’s quite normal that they get emotionally devastated. Once the doctor confirms that they are not pregnant for real, they may have to undergo certain psychological exams. This is to make sure that there are no psychological or neurological issues (8). Also, psychological therapy may be needed for some time for the patient to recover from the trauma.
However, now that you know about pseudocyesis, also know that you can always seek medical help in any such situations. With the right guidance and right treatment, it is possible to address the condition in time.
