It is the joy of every woman to get pregnant at the right time, most importantly, the just wedded or expectant couples, but not all pregnancies end in definite childbirth. Are you surprised?
Pseudocyesis, or false or phantom pregnancy, as it is commonly called is a rare medical condition in which there is the appearance of clinical or subclinical signs and symptoms associated with pregnancy when a woman is not actually pregnant. The woman experiences many, if not all, symptoms of pregnancy - with the exception of an actual fetus and believes she is pregnant, only to find out that her symptoms were not caused by pregnancy, but something totally different. Wikipedia puts the rate of the occurrence of this condition between one to six for every 22,000 births.
WHAT COULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FALSE PREGNANCY?
At the moment, it has not yet been discovered the real cause of the pregnancy, but it has been estimated by medical doctors to be brought about by psychological and physical factors. These factors
such as a woman's urge for pregnancy, repeated miscarriages, urge for getting married, etc can lead to changes in the endocrine system of the body, leading to the secretion of hormones that cause physical changes similar to those during pregnancy. A WebMD article says some researchers have suggested that poverty, a lack of education, childhood sexual abuse, or relationship problems might play a role in triggering false pregnancy.
SYMPTOMS OF FALSE PREGNANCY
False pregnancy shows very similar symptoms to those of true pregnancy and this makes it difficult to distinguish from true pregnancy even by medical doctors atimes. Its symptoms include: enlarged and tender breasts, weight gain, swollen belly, interruption of menstrual period, vomiting and sometimes milk production. These symptoms could last ranging from a few weeks to several years.
DIAGNOSIS OF FALSE PREGNANCY
It is advisable for women experiencing these symptoms to go earlier to the hospital for medical check up. A series of tests could be carried out such as a pelvic examination, symptom evaluation, but the most important test is the abdominal ultrasound which will reveal neither the presence of a baby or an heartbeat.
TREATMENT FOR FALSE PREGNANCY
A 2013 article in the journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology noted that currently, most cases of pseudocyesis occur in undeveloped countries, where a woman might receive medical care later in the pregnancy than a woman would in developed countries (where visits to the obstetrician often take place in the first trimester), Huffpost reports.
Since there is no known cause of false pregnancy at the moment, there is not yet a specific medication to treat it. However, some treatments may be administered to the woman to counter the false symptoms she is feeling. Also, because breaking the news to some women that they aren't actually pregnant may lead to psychological breakdown for them, they are better referred a psychotherapist.