Although it is not common, psychological pregnancy affects women all over the world. It is also known as pseudocyesis and is treatable.
In short, psychological pregnancy is an emotional problem that occurs when pregnancy symptoms are present, but there is no fetus developing in the woman’s uterus, which can be confirmed by pregnancy tests and ultrasound.
It is extremely important to say that psychological pregnancy is not a woman’s invention or lie. She actually feels the symptoms and believes she is pregnant. The body even produces hormones typical of the period, such as estrogen and prolactin.
According to research, every 22 thousand pregnancies is considered a psychological pregnancy, therefore these are rare cases. It usually happens in women who have already suffered trauma in childhood or adolescence.
What causes psychological pregnancy?
Definitely, the woman who develops pseudocyesis has usually gone through an intense period of stress related to pregnancy. Above all, one of the biggest causes of this condition is the desire to get pregnant, followed by unsuccessful attempts for a long time.
Furthermore, another cause commonly related to this situation is when a woman forgets to take the contraceptive pill for one or more days and has sex with her partner without using a condom. In many cases, the fear of getting pregnant is so great that the body works in reverse, giving bodily signs of pregnancy.
Symptoms
- Nausea;
- Somnolence;
- Food cravings;
- Absence or delay of menstruation;
- Belly and breast growth;
- Sensation of feeling the fetus move;
- Breast milk production.
Diagnosis
Firstly, to identify a psychological pregnancy, it is enough for the woman herself or those around her to pay attention to the signs to notice the absence of an actual pregnancy. Later, to detect the symptoms of a psychological pregnancy, simple physical examinations are enough.
Since psychological pregnancy is negative in blood tests. Furthermore, the ultrasound can also resolve the doubt as to whether or not there is a real pregnancy.
Treatment
In short, it is difficult to convince a woman that what she has is a psychological pregnancy. Ideally, this woman should be referred to a qualified professional to assess the condition and recommend treatment.
Generally, the woman is referred to a psychiatrist, even in cases where the symptoms disappear spontaneously. The help of your partner and other family members is extremely important.
Finally, in therapy sessions, the psychologist, in addition to discovering the reason behind the psychological pregnancy, will help the woman to deal better with the situation, helping her to overcome the problem.
However, psychotherapy is also essential for women to mobilize their own resources to deal with their conflicts. In some cases, medications are indicated to regularize menstruation, stop milk production and even psychiatric medications may be prescribed.
What makes the belly grow during psychological pregnancy?
According to studies, around 60 to 90% of women with psychological pregnancies may experience an increase in abdominal volume. Both due to the accumulation of fat due to weight gain and abdominal distension. Therefore, the accumulation of gases in the intestines is one of the main causes of increased abdominal volume in psychological pregnancy.
Serious cases
Above all, there are more serious cases in which the woman continues to have symptoms, and may even go into “labor”, feeling real contractions. After that, they believe they miscarried or something happened to the baby.
Furthermore, in these specific cases, these women are more likely to develop other psychiatric illnesses, such as depression, psychosis, among others.
Prevention
However, unfortunately there is no way to predict which women will have a psychological pregnancy. However, having a balance and above all taking care of mental and emotional health can help prevent a woman from going to extremes that lead to this situation.
Did you like the content? read also: Anembryonic Pregnancy – What it is, causes and prevention
Featured image: Hello mom
Sources: April My life Your health
