Psychological Pregnancy: Why Does It Occur And What Are Its Symptoms?
Giving birth is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful moments for most women Having the ability to bring a new life into the world after spending nine months harboring it inside her is something that fills every mother who wants to be one with happiness.
But sometimes, the desire to want to be a mother is so strong that, even without being one, the body begins to show the symptoms of a real pregnancy. This makes the woman herself think that she is pregnant, with all that this implies.
These types of situations are psychological pregnancies, a rare but very interesting phenomenon that we are going to address in this article. Let’s see what it is, what its symptoms are, what differentiates it from a real pregnancy and how it should be treated.
Psychological pregnancy is the situation that occurs when a woman believes that she is pregnant without being pregnant, because she is manifesting some objective symptoms of being pregnant. They are also called phantom pregnancies or pseudocyesis, from “pseudo”, “false” and “cesis”, “gestation”.
Although some hypotheses have been put forward as to why this occurs, The truth is that it is not entirely clear why this type of false pregnancies occur in the human species One of the possible explanations that has been proposed is that, when you have a very strong desire to be a mother, the mind ends up influencing the body, causing a whole series of symptoms typical of pregnancy.
Physical reactions that manifest due to mental causes are called psychosomatic reactions, therefore, psychological pregnancies are sets of psychosomatic symptoms. That is why gynecology specialists need to address this type of case very clearly and in-depth, given that, despite there being no real pregnancy, the body behaves as if there really was one.
Symptoms
As we have already said, in psychological pregnancy the woman believes she is really carrying a baby, and You may manifest some objective symptoms that would indicate, at first glance, that you are indeed pregnant
People who are going through pseudocyesis, like real pregnant women, suffer hormonal changes. Luteinizing hormones (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH) decrease, causing ovulation to stop and the menstrual cycle to stop.
On the other hand, prolactin and progesterone levels rise, which are behind several symptoms also typical of real pregnancy. Progesterone causes tiredness and drowsiness, while prolactin is responsible for the breast secreting milk, even if there is no baby to feed it.
There are some digestive disorders, such as constipation, nausea and vomiting , which can occur at any time of the day. In addition to suffering from cravings and greater sensitivity to certain smells and tastes.
One of the symptoms that contribute to a woman thinking that she is really pregnant is that her belly and breasts grow, with the latter becoming especially sensitive. Added to this is the fact of feeling movement inside the uterus, as if there was really a fetus forming, and having the sensation that she is kicking.
Other symptoms suffered by women with a phantom pregnancy and that are common in real pregnancies are dizziness, increased volume of the uterus and softening of the cervix, weight gain and, in some cases, high levels of gonadotropin.
When the differential diagnosis is made, that is, finding out if it is really a real pregnancy or, if not, a pseudocyesis, there are two quite illuminating indicators. On the one hand, there is the fact that the navel is not facing outwards and, on the other, the weight gain is greater than expected in a normal pregnancy.
However, what definitively clarifies that it is a fictitious pregnancy are the negative pregnancy tests and ultrasounds in which no fetus has been found.
Causes
There are several reasons that can explain why a woman believes she is really pregnant After all, these types of situations manifest themselves psychosomatically, that is, the mind has generated physical symptoms in the woman’s body.
One of the most common causes is the woman’s desire to get pregnant but having problems achieving it. This situation usually occurs in those women who have had fertility problems, a history of multiple abortions or, in the most serious cases, the loss of a newborn child. Living in a sexist environment in which being a mother is considered to mean satisfying the vital goal of every woman also favors fictitious pregnancies.
Another cause is that the woman is about to enter menopause, but is afraid of this new period and creates a whole repertoire of stereotypical beliefs about it, such as the loss of youth and “productivity.”
There are also cases of phantom pregnancies in women who fear becoming pregnant Although this may seem counterintuitive, the truth is that this can frequently occur in young girls who have just started their sexual life and come from conservative families.
In couples where there are problems, having a child is sometimes seen as the solution. This can encourage the woman to believe that she has indeed become pregnant and that the end of the tension with her boyfriend or husband has come. Getting pregnant can also be seen as the reason why the couple will dedicate more time to the woman, receiving more attention and, if it had to happen, delaying the breakup.
Treatment
Telling a woman that she is not pregnant when she has been believing otherwise for months is not an easy task It requires a high degree of delicacy and the collaboration of the couple.
As already mentioned, the causes behind suffering a psychological pregnancy can be varied and the woman may have a repertoire of beliefs and desires that “justify” her pregnancy. For this reason it is necessary to show her that she is not really in a state, but do it in the softest way possible to avoid emotional problems when she is upset.
Thanks to the advancement of technology, especially applied in the field of medicine, it is possible to demonstrate very objectively that a woman is not pregnant. As we have already said, ultrasounds and pregnancy tests, among other techniques, allow us to demonstrate that she is not pregnant. Sometimes this is enough to end pseudocyesis and the symptoms disappear over time.
However, other women don’t quite believe it, either because they have believed the lie for a long time or because they want to have a baby so much that they refuse to admit the reality.
The first professional the woman will have gone to will have been her gynecologist , who must make sure to show all objective evidence that confirms that there is no pregnancy and, if possible, elucidate where this case comes from. Although finding out the causes that have led to this situation is the psychologist’s task, it is not recommended to refer the patient immediately, given that a high degree of reluctance may arise when thinking that she has a mental disorder.
When it is time to go to a mental health professional, the psychologist will be in charge of following treatment for the woman, seeing to what extent accepting the news has affected her mood and investigating the causes that have led to to this phantom pregnancy.
If the woman, after all the efforts of the gynecologist, doctor and psychologist, cannot understand the real situation, it is possible that the psychological pregnancy is only the tip of the iceberg of a much larger problem, and she may be facing a case of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder or, in more serious cases, a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia.
Pregnancy in men?
As surprising as it may seem, in the same way that there are women who, without being pregnant, show symptoms of being pregnant, there are men who, despite the biological impossibility of their sex, also present physical signs of pregnancy.
This is called Couvade syndrome, coming from the French word “couver” which means “to incubate.”
It is not that the man thinks he is pregnant, however, he manifests the same symptoms as his boyfriend or wife who is actually pregnant. If she vomits, he does too; If she has a craving, he also wants to eat; and if she gains weight, then so does he.
An attempt has been made to find out a little more about this syndrome. It is believed that, in normal pregnancies, 10% of men experience Couvade syndrome while the percentage increases to 25 in the event of a pregnancy with problems.
The possibility that this occurs has been considered because the man is very involved in the pregnancy process that the woman is doing, although it could also be due to a need to attract attention that is now focused on his partner. Another cause that could be behind this is something more serious, such as a personality disorder in men.
The symptoms in men are very similar to those of a normal pregnancy, with mood changes, weight gain and abdominal bloating in addition to gastric problems. All of them disappear the moment the woman gives birth.
