Pseudociesis: Myth Or Reality
The desire to be a mother sometimes generates feelings that we do not know how to channel. We can even come to believe that we are pregnant and even feel each of the symptoms, when the reality is that we are not yet conceiving a baby. Oddly enough, it can happen, and this emotional condition is called “pseudocyesis”.
Another term as pseudocyesis is usually defined is imaginary or phantom pregnancy.
This phenomenon is not very common, its incidence is low. It can also affect anyone of a different race, age or social class. However, we must treat it psychologically to avoid further emotional damage.
When pseudocyesis occurs, it frequently occurs in married or reproductive women.
Symptoms of pseudocyesis
The person suffering from this pathology may manifest some of these symptoms:
- Absence of menstruation as it occurs when pregnancy occurs.
- Increased abdominal volume, as if a baby were actually growing. But with the notable difference that it does not change the shape of the navel.
- Milk discharge and changes in the breasts.
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fetal movement sensation.
How is it possible?
Many of you will wonder how the manifestation of these symptoms is possible if there is indeed no pregnancy. Well, without a doubt it is a process that affects psychologically and emotionally. But it also produces stimuli from the neuroendocrine system that act on the hypothalamus. As a consequence, a hormonal alteration is triggered that causes the initial symptoms of a pregnancy.
Altered hormones such as estrogen and prolactin cause reactions in the body. And by generating all these symptoms, the person who is not pregnant becomes much more convinced of being pregnant. In these cases it is shown that the mind is the most powerful organ we have in our body. Since it is capable of transforming and reacting according to thoughts and desires.
Undoubtedly, pseudocyesis is associated with emotional or psychological disorders. These disorders are determined by personal and individual conditions that lead to a desire for conception in such a way that it manifests itself physically.
The origin of pseudocyesis
Some reasons why pseudocyesis can occur are as follows:
- Uncontrollable wishes to have a baby and become a mother
- Need to have a marriage and a family conformed to established social standards.
- Find alternatives to take care of the relationship when there are marital problems
- Having infertility problems that make it difficult for you to get pregnant
- There may be pictures of anxiety and depression
- Low self-esteem
- Insistence or pressure from family members to search for a baby
How can I treat it?
A specific medical treatment for this pathology has not yet been defined. However, when diagnosing it, the first thing to do is demonstrate with evidence that the baby does not exist and that there is no pregnancy.
This can be done through :
- A blood test to show the presence of the hormone BhCG which is produced by the placenta during pregnancy. Obviously, this will give a negative result
- Go to the gynecologist to do an abdominal ultrasound and visualize that the uterus is empty
- It is important to go to a specialist in the field of psychology or in more delicate cases seek psychiatric help. Well, these experts can handle the situation from a professional perspective and provide the necessary tools to manage emotions.
In this way, greater damage or depressive conditions more complicated to treat can be avoided. Pseudocyesis should not be managed as a state of dementia, even if the person fully believes that they are pregnant.
In many cases the treatments are very effective, since the patients must take a long time of psychological follow-up. There are even cases where you have to wait 40 weeks until you reach the supposed moment of “delivery”. Here the mother can finally realize that unfortunately there was never a real pregnancy.
Family and partner support are extremely important at this stage. Well, without a doubt, the women to whom it happens can feel devoid of affection. Once pseudocyesis is overcome, there must be medical and psychological controls that can guarantee or at least reduce the risk of this situation happening again.
