Have you ever wanted something to be true so badly that you actually started to convince yourself of it — even if it was far from a reality?
Our minds are powerful and can sometimes fool our bodies into doing things they shouldn't actually be doing.
This could be as simple as imagining that you caught a cold from a coworker, or as serious as believing that you're carrying a baby that isn't actually there.
It may sound too strange to be true, but phantom pregnancy is a real condition that has affected people for centuries. For instance, Queen Mary I of England was famously (and falsely) convinced she was pregnant back in 1555.
It's important to note that phantom pregnancy is pretty rare, it only occurs at a rate of 1 to 6 for every 22,000 births, according to The New York Times, but still, phantom pregnancy remains a problem, and a fascinating one at that.
Keep reading below to learn more about this medical phenomenon.
Photos: Laura Caseley for LittleThings; Wikimedia Commons / Nevit Dilmen
1. What Exactly Is False Pregnancy?
There are a lot of names for phantom pregnancy — false pregnancy, hysterical pregnancy, or the technical term, pseudocyesis.
These many different names all describe the same condition. According to Parents:
Pseudocyesis is a condition in which a woman believes that she’s pregnant, yet conception hasn’t taken place and no baby is forming inside. Common, and often lasting, pregnancy symptoms help to reinforce this idea, which can lead a woman to be absolutely certain she’s expecting.
In short, a false pregnancy is one where the mother shows all physical signs of pregnancy, except for one — carrying an actual baby.
2. Periods May Stop
For most women, the first sign that they might be expecting is a missed period.
After all, it is this that usually encourages someone to take a pregnancy test or to visit the doctor to confirm the pregnancy.
People who are experiencing false pregnancy may also experience missed periods, or even multiple ones, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
This only further encourages those affected into believing that there is a baby inside of them.
3. A Belly May Begin To Form
Of course, the biggest defining factor in a pregnancy is the pregnant belly. While everyone's comes in different shapes and sizes, this can also include women suffering from a phantom pregnancy.
Psychology Today describes one case where a family practitioner at the University of Nebraska was visited by a patient with a huge belly and tender breasts.
When he went to scan her abdomen, he realized that she was not carrying a baby, and didn't have a uterus. Her medical records further revealed that she had undergone a hysterectomy.
This is just an example of how real the symptoms can seem, even to someone who was by no means, actually pregnant.
4. You May Even Feel A Baby Kicking
One of the most exciting moments for a pregnant mother is feeling her baby moving around inside of her.
Since women who are experiencing false pregnancy think they are pregnant, they will often also experience this too, which contributes to their belief.
According to the case studied by Psychology Today, the doctor pointed out that the woman he was treating claimed to feel her (non-existent) baby.
5. Breasts May Enlarge And Begin To Produce Milk
Another symptom that most of us know to be associated with pregnancy are enlarged breasts, and the occasional secretion of breast milk.
Again, this is something else women who are having a false pregnancy may experience, and it will often incorrectly reaffirm their condition, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
6. Some People Experience Weight Gain
It's not surprising news to anyone that pregnant women gain weight before and even after they give birth.
How much weight a woman gains depends on her body type, the size of the baby, and a whole lot of other factors.
However, Parents says that gaining 25 to 35 pounds in a pregnancy is considered normal.
Similarly, a woman experiencing a false pregnancy may also gain some weight, which makes them feel even more pregnant.
7. Morning Sickness May Occur
Pregnant women can experience morning sickness, or nausea at all hours of the day, despite what "morning sickness" might suggest.
Similarly, false pregnancy victims may also experience what they believe to be morning sickness, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
8. Men Can Experience False Pregnancy Too
A basic fact of human life is that men do not get pregnant.
Still, according to BBC News, that doesn't stop some men from experiencing pregnancy symptoms. This tends to happen when their partner is pregnant, and is thought to be related to anxiety surrounding the pregnancy.
In fact, BBC News also reports that the appearance of a baby bump has even been recorded in extreme cases for men, too. Cases involving men are usually called sympathetic pregnancies.
9. Symptoms Can Last From Weeks To Years
A traditional pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, but since there is no baby during a false pregnancy, there is also no time limit.
Baby Center reports, "The symptoms are so realistic and long-lasting that the women remain convinced they're pregnant for nine months or even longer."
10. Some People Even Think They're Going Into Labor
If people can trick their minds and bodies into experiencing pregnancy symptoms, you can bet that they can also trick themselves into experiencing false symptoms of labor.
There is one case in Brazil described by SFGate in which a 37-year-old woman arrived at a clinic showing all signs of being in labor. She was moaning, screaming, had the belly, and even paperwork by a midwife to back her claim up.
When doctors examined her, and didn’t hear a baby's heartbeat, they began to perform an emergency c-section because they thought they needed to act quickly. However, they discovered that there was no baby inside this woman at all.
11. Animals Can Experience False Pregnancy Too
Humans aren't the only ones whose mind can work over matter. In fact, animals can also experience false pregnancy.
This is most commonly seen in dogs, according to PetMD. In canine cases, the female will often display their symptoms after heat. This is thought to be caused by a hormonal imbalance.
12. What Exactly Causes False Pregnancy?
Since phantom pregnancy involves the mind and body, explaining it can be a little difficult.
The New York Times explains technically what may be going on inside the body:
This raises the possibility that pseudocyesis is the result of a delicate mind-body feedback loop: an initial emotional state induces abnormal hormone secretion, which in turn has its own physical and psychological effects.
Often, women who experience a false pregnancy share commonalities that may contribute to the condition, or make them especially vulnerable to it.
These include, "Recent pregnancy loss or infertility, psychological and medical naivete, social isolation, recent loss and membership in a cultural or religious group that focuses on childbearing as the central role of women," according to The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine.
False pregnancy may be rare, but its helpful to know what it is in the unlikely event that it affects someone close to you.
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