Can you have a phantom pregnancy

Symptoms of pregnancy and pseudocyesis may be confusingly similar, but there is one significant distinction. In a false pregnancy, there is simply no baby.

See your doctor if you have questions or think you might be pregnant. A cryptic pregnancy occurs when a pregnant person doesn't realize they are pregnant until they are several months in.

It's a real condition, though it…. But there will be some differences this time around. From the very first symptom to finally meeting your little one for the first time, there are many milestones along the way.

Learn more about these…. A molar pregnancy is one in which a healthy baby can't develop. Although easy to treat, this condition can be incredibly hard to face. We'll tell you…. A new study finds that epidurals do not affect child development in their later years. A fetal arrhythmia is an irregular heart rate — too fast, too slow, or otherwise outside the norm. It's often benign. You may have even had some signs of early pregnancy, such as nausea or sore breasts.

Usually, though, your suspicions or hopes are easily answered by the coming of your period or a negative pregnancy test. But, there is another phenomenon where a woman experiences the signs of symptoms of pregnancy in a much more pronounced way, with sometimes obvious, pronounced physical signs of pregnancy, including missed periods, a growing abdomen, and even baby kicks. This phenomenon is referred to as pseudocyesis , also known as false pregnancy, or phantom pregnancy.

Pseudocyesis is different from a mental health disorder characterized by delusions of pregnancy, as may be found in a person suffering from schizophrenia or psychosis. Although psychological mechanisms may be at play in the phenomenon of pseudocyesis—and may actually cause some of the symptoms— pseudocyesis is primarily characterized by physical symptoms of pregnancy in a person who is not actually pregnant.

In other words, a person who suffers from pseudocyesis not only falsely believes they are pregnant, but they must also actually exhibit physical signs of pregnancy. According to The Indian Journal of Psychiatry , pseudocyesis is very rare.

Experts are not totally sure what causes pseudocyesis. It is often thought of as a psychosomatic condition, where the belief or hope that you are pregnant causes your body to produce pregnancy symptoms. But in some cases, there are other medical conditions that may cause pregnancy symptoms to be experienced. Here are some of the reasons a person might experience symptoms of pseudocyesis:.

Factors that might make a mother more likely to experience pseudocyesis include:. Pseudocyesis is characterized by the belief that you are pregnant, combined with classic symptoms of pregnancy, including:. These symptoms can last for a few weeks or for the entire duration of a typical pregnancy nine months. Ultimately, the only way to know for sure if someone is experiencing pseudocyesis is to administer a pregnancy test or ultrasound.

The most definitive test to check for pregnancy would be an ultrasound that checks for the presence or absence of a developing fetus. If it is shown through testing that a woman is not in fact pregnant, yet she believes she is and also is experiencing symptoms of pregnancy, she will likely be diagnosed with pseudocyesis.

If the absence of a pregnancy is confirmed, but concerning physical symptoms linger, other testing might be administered to rule out other medical issues, such as hormonal imbalances or tumor growth. In most developed countries, pseudocyesis is rare simply because when a woman suspects she is pregnant, she goes to a gynecologist who can administer tests to tell her whether she is experiencing a viable pregnancy.

However, pseudocyesis may be common among women who are experiencing psychological disturbance, regardless of their socioeconomic status or access to gynecological care. Because of intense pressure or desire to be pregnant, a woman's brain triggers hormonal changes that cause pregnancy symptoms. This may happen when a woman has struggled with infertility or had a miscarriage or loss of an infant, or another traumatic event. It also sometimes happens to women who have an intense fear of pregnancy.

Some experts theorize that abdominal growth, the sensation of feeling fetal movement, and the experience of labor pain may be due to increased activity in the sympathetic nervous system the body's "fight or flight" system. Another medical condition.

Sometimes a completely unrelated illness can cause elevated hormonal levels or other physical reactions that lead to pregnancy symptoms. These conditions include ovarian tumors, severe depression, cancer, obesity, and ectopic pregnancy. Even weight gain, constipation, or gas — when paired with psychological factors — can cause abdominal distention that a woman may interpret as pregnancy.

In one recent study, more than 16 percent of cases of phantom pregnancy were linked to medical conditions. Major depressive disorders. Women with severe depression or severe stress may have changes in reproductive hormones. In addition, antipsychotic medications can cause some pregnancy-like symptoms, such as weight gain, loss of menstruation, and breast tenderness. If a woman has a phantom pregnancy, her pregnancy test will be negative.

Her body won't produce human chorionic gonadotropin hCG , the pregnancy hormone. An ultrasound will also reveal that there's no baby. Provide evidence. The caregiver should strive to be empathetic. She might assure the patient that her belief that she was pregnant was understandable given the symptoms, for example. Address other medical conditions. After determining that a woman has a phantom pregnancy, her caregiver will want to rule out — or address — other medical conditions that may be causing the pregnancy symptoms.

Reduce symptoms. If the woman isn't having menstrual periods, for example, the caregiver may restore them with the use of hormonal intervention, if necessary.

She might also help address symptoms such as nausea and fatigue. Provide psychological support. BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. That said, those who think and feel like they are pregnant are also feeling that same excitement for the next 9 months and beyond.

They are looking forward to raising their baby in their home — watching him or her have their first bath, take their first steps and grow like a typical kid. Now she is about to find out that what she is feeling, what she is looking forward to, is not going to happen.

It is all in her head. Now imagine being the bearer of this news and attempting to treat her; knowing that she had this excitement built up just to have it crushed. Treating a false pregnancy is very difficult since it is a delicate situation, it is not necessarily a medical problem but more psychological where symptoms can last anywhere from a few weeks to the whole 9 months, to even years. After a doctor has proven for a fact that this is indeed a false pregnancy, they will then conduct some psychological exams to ensure that there is no underlying psychological or neurological condition.

After this, they will provide psychological therapy and emotional support as these are the only way to treat pseudocyesis. Datta, S. Tarin JJ, et al. Endocrinology and physiology of pseudocyesis. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 11 1 Gabbe S. Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies, fifth ed. What is a False Pregnancy? What Causes Pseudocyesis? Signs of Pseudocyesis or a False Pregnancy Most women who suffer from a false pregnancy truly believe they are pregnant because they experience the same pregnancy symptoms.

Tests For Pseudocyesis or False Pregnancy Since Pseudocyesis mimics every detail of pregnancy, it is important that a doctor ensures that it is actually a fake pregnancy and not a real one.