PSYCHOLOGICAL PREGNANCY: SYMPTOMS, CAUSES AND HOW TO DETECT IT - ECONOMÍA - 2024

The psychological pregnancy or Pseudocyesis is a psychological disorder characterized by the belief that a person of being pregnant when in fact it is not. It is a response that the body makes regarding an emotional state. This response of our body, as its name suggests, manifests itself through the symptoms that a totally normal pregnancy could contain.

You probably have doubts as to whether this really exists or not. "This only happens to dogs" many people may have told you…. But no! Psychological pregnancy exists and it happens to humans as well.

During the psychological pregnancy, the woman not only presents subtle symptoms, but lives the belief that she is expecting a baby in a totally real way, presenting the physical symptoms that she would present if she were really pregnant.

That is to say: women with pseudocyesis are so convinced that they are pregnant that they present symptoms such as absence of menstruation and increased abdominal volume.

These changes that are experienced, obviously do not respond to an organic cause, since the person who suffers from it is not pregnant, but rather psychological factors cause these physical changes.

In other words: the belief that we are pregnant makes our brain activate those mechanisms necessary to create the symptoms of pregnancy.

And it is that in cases of psychological pregnancy, the belief of expecting a baby is so developed that the person suffering from it is totally convinced that they are pregnant, and our brain responds by activating the typical symptoms of this period.

Is it a psychosis?

The characteristics of psychological pregnancy could make us think that the belief that she is pregnant when she really is not, indicates that the woman suffers from some type of psychosis or delirium.

However, psychological pregnancy is not considered a psychotic disorder but rather a somatoform disorder. And what are somatoform disorders?

Well, they are a set of mental disorders that are characterized by the fact that the patient has physical complaints (pain or changes in his body) which are not due to any identifiable pathology or organic cause.

These physical complaints usually respond to some hidden emotional need, such as anguish, anxiety or lack of affection, since it is the psychological component that causes them.

Thus, pseudocyesis is a peculiar type of these disorders in which the pregnancy symptoms are caused by some mental disorder, rather than by physical or organic causes.

Symptoms of psychological pregnancy

As we have already mentioned, the symptoms that can occur during psychological pregnancy are practically the same as those that occur during a normal pregnancy.

Let's see them:

-The menstruation disappears. In some cases it may not disappear completely, but the flow is drastically reduced, presenting what is known as amenorrhea.

-The size of the breasts increases through the same hormonal changes that occur in this part of the body during pregnancy, to prepare the woman for breastfeeding.

-In some cases, the woman's breasts can secrete milk.

-Pains in the breasts and surroundings are usually common, as well as an increase in the mammary areola.

-The cervix softens as if it is preparing for delivery.

-The size of the abdomen increases as if an embryo were actually contained in the belly.

-It increases the weight of the woman, more notably than in a normal pregnancy.

- Psychological and behavioral symptoms such as lack of sleep, increased appetite, cravings, anxiety or nausea occur.

These physical and psychological symptoms usually have very negative effects on both the physical and psychological state of the woman.

Differences between psychological and normal pregnancy

The main difference will be quite obvious: in a normal pregnancy there is a zygote in the maternal uterus and in the psychological pregnancy there is not. A doctor can easily differentiate one from another through tests that demonstrate the absence or presence of a fetal heartbeat.

However, there are other differences between the symptoms that a woman who is pregnant and a woman suffering from a psychological pregnancy may present:

• During normal pregnancy, a hormone called Corinonic Gonadotropin is secreted, whereas a woman with pseudocyesis does not produce this hormone.
• The belly of a woman on tape grows causing the navel hole to disappear (the skin comes out), in a psychological pregnancy this does not happen.
• The weight gain that occurs during a psychological pregnancy is much more exaggerated than that of a normal pregnancy.

How can I know if I have a psychological pregnancy?

It is common for women to have symptoms characteristic of the pregnancy period at some point in their life when they are not actually pregnant. In fact, you may have once been able to say, "I think I'm pregnant."

These symptoms can be very diverse such as thoughts about pregnancy, cravings, emotional susceptibility, physical sensations of being on the go… However, the presentation of these symptoms does not have to indicate the presence of a psychological pregnancy.

Sometimes they can be symptoms prior to discovering that you are really expecting a baby and sometimes they can be simple worries or wishes to be a mother.

Let's see what those diagnostic points are so that you can easily clarify if those symptoms you present are part of a psychological pregnancy or not.

Go to the doctor

First of all, you should go to a specialist doctor to perform a pregnancy test, a physical examination and an ultrasound to rule out that these symptoms are part of a real pregnancy.

Have most of the symptoms

You must present all or most of the symptoms related to psychological pregnancy mentioned above. If you present only some of them but do not present absence of menstruation or amenorrhea and your abdominal size has not increased, it is unlikely that it is a pseudocyesis.

Low levels of follicle-stimulating hormone

In psychological pregnancy, low levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) are usually present, so if you do not present these results, it is practically impossible to suffer a psychological pregnancy.

Elevated prolactin levels

Similarly, in pseudocyesis, prolactin levels are often elevated. If you have symptoms related to psychological pregnancy but have normal prolactin levels, it is unlikely that it is a psychological pregnancy.

Psychological motives

Because of how strange this disorder can seem, you may be wondering what causes psychological pregnancy. Let's see it:

Uncontrollable wishes to get pregnant

It must be taken into account that the body changes present in pseudocyesis, like most somatoform disorders, respond to some need or emotional destabilization.

Thus, a woman with a high desire to be a mother may not adequately manage the frustration caused by not being able to fulfill her wish and develop a psychological pregnancy.

Depressive states

This factor can be closely related to the desire to be a mother or having a hypersensitivity to motherhood issues. Presence of a depressive picture related to pregnancy or motherhood issues can precipitate a psychological pregnancy.

It should be noted that, like most psychological disorders, pseudocyesis usually precipitates when a person does not have the necessary resources to overcome a personal situation or a psychological state.

In this way, the fact of really wanting to be pregnant or presenting depressive symptoms related to motherhood, can lead to a disorder if the person presenting it is overwhelmed by their personal circumstances.

Panic to get pregnant

It is usually typical among adolescent women who start their sexual life, have a romantic relationship for the first time or have just married.

Pregnancy is a delicate time for any woman, so certain situations such as those described above can lead to an excessive fear of becoming pregnant.

If the woman who is involved in these situations is not able to adequately manage the fear caused by the idea of ​​becoming a treadmill, the over-vigilance that this fear can cause each time she has sex can end up becoming a belief. immovable to be expecting a baby and trigger a pseudocyesis.

Relationship problems

Sometimes when you have relationship problems, the idea may come up that the perfect solution to make all difficulties disappear is to get pregnant.

When this happens, the predetermined idea of ​​becoming pregnant to improve married life can develop erroneously and turn into maladjusted ideas of being on the go.

How many people does it happen to?

Psychological pregnancy, despite its apparent popularity, is a very rare disorder in today's population. It can be presented by women from all over the world at any age, although the most common is usually to present it between 20 and 40 years.

However, despite the fact that pregnancy symptoms can be common, it is estimated that only 0.005 of women who present these symptoms have pseudocyesis, which is why psychological pregnancy occurs very rarely.

Can men have it?

Oddly enough, men can also have pseudocyesis. However, in men it usually occurs because of feeling very identified with their partner when they are really pregnant.

The need to feel protective, share with his wife the moment of pregnancy or try to get involved in the suffering of the woman, are usually the most common causes.

Should the truth be told?

A recurring question about this disorder is whether when detecting that a woman is suffering from a psychological pregnancy, she must be clearly told that she is not pregnant and that the symptoms are the fruit of her imagination.

My advice in this situation would be not to do it, or at least not to directly confront the person suffering from pseudocyesis if their belief is radically opposed to the tests that confirm the absence of pregnancy.

And it is that from the outside it may seem very simple, the woman is told that she is not pregnant, she is shown the tests that confirm it and the problem is over. However, psychological pregnancy is quite a complex disorder and understanding is essential.

For the woman who suffers from it, the fact of being pregnant is not an option, since for her it is a reality, so overcoming this dilemma must be done little by little and with the appropriate treatment.

How is it treated?

What usually happens is that a woman who suffers a psychological pregnancy goes to the doctor to check her pregnancy and at that moment she is notified through the tests carried out that she is not really on tape.

At that precise moment, the most common reaction of the woman is to deny the tests provided by the doctor and to find another professional to check her pregnancy.

At that time, it is vitally important to understand the problem that the person is suffering, not to adopt a radical position denying him at all times the reality of his pregnancy and to convince him to go to a therapist to help him manage his situation.

The therapy carried out with a psychotherapist specialized in these problems will be based on the patient gradually learning what happens to her and what a psychological pregnancy is, so that in this way she modifies her belief that she is pregnant.