Pregnancy could be an exciting time for expecting parents. However, pregnancy does not always end with the anticipated baby. In rare cases, a person believes they are pregnant, only to discover that their symptoms were not due to pregnancy but by something else.
A Heartbreaking Phenomenon
Phantom pregnancy, clinically termed pseudocyesis, is the belief that a person is expecting a baby when they are not carrying a child. Also called false pregnancy, this condition leaves a person with pregnancy symptoms that make them believe that they are conceiving a child.
The first documented case of this rare phenomenon was that of Queen Mary I, historically known as "Bloody Mary." She was the eldest daughter of King Henry VIII, who got married to Philip II of Spain. The stakes were high since she desperately needed an heir to secure an alliance with Spain and to continue Catholic rule in England.
The year after their marriage, Mary looked pregnant with symptoms like swollen breasts and belly, morning sickness, and movement in her womb. Yet as weeks passed, the excitement became despair since the queen had never been pregnant.
Pseudocyesis is rare, with only one to two cases per 22,000 births. Most cases have been observed in people between 16 and 39. It was even more common before the existence of reliable pregnancy tests.
The significant difference between a real pregnancy and a phantom pregnancy is the presence of a fetus. A person experiencing false pregnancy may feel pregnant and have signs of conceiving, but a pregnancy test, blood test,t or ultrasound will show they are not pregnant.
The symptoms of phantom pregnancy are similar to actual pregnancy. These may include nausea or morning sickness, breast tenderness, enlarged abdomen, and missed menstrual period. Some also report having food cravings or aversions, weight gain, false labor contractions, and even movement in the uterus.
What Causes Pseudocyesis?
Experts are still not sure what causes pseudocyesis, although they theorize that psychological and hormonal factors may be involved. Phantom pregnancy may be considered a somatic symptom disorder, a state in which a person manifests physical symptoms of a condition without any medical explanation.
There are many reasons why a person may develop pseudocyesis. One of these is the strong desire to become pregnant, and their body helps them believe they are carrying a child. Experts consider the psychological factors since the mind-body connection can be powerful.
Meanwhile, medical conditions such as menopause, uterine tumors, or cancer can cause changes in the hormonal levels of a person. These changes can mimic pregnancy symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, or missed periods.
A person can also have pseudocyesis due to the extreme fear of becoming pregnant. Multiple miscarriages bring other cases of phantom pregnancy, loss of a child, or infertility. It could also be due to depression or anxiety, emotional trauma, and sexual abuse.
Diagnosing pseudocyesis is done using the usual tests for pregnancy. Healthcare providers will conduct an ultrasound, a pelvic exam, urine test,t or blood test to confirm the presence of the fetus. If phantom pregnancy has occurred, the tests will come back negative and ensure that conception did not happen and the person is not pregnant.
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