A false pregnancy is a situation where a woman has all the signs and symptoms of being pregnant, yet is not actually pregnant. Although false pregnancies are not common in humans, they do occur. False pregnancies are usually psychological in nature. False pregnancies have been reported throughout history. For example, Hippocrates wrote about 12 women who he encountered as early as 300 B.C. who experienced false pregnancies? Mary, Queen of Scots, is another famous example of someone who reported having false pregnancies on several occasions.
Determining if a woman is pregnant based on symptoms alone can be challenging, as many pregnancy symptoms are similar to those of other medical conditions. For example, irregular menstrual periods and pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) can both cause headaches, tender breasts, and a bloated feeling in the stomach. If you think you might be pregnant, the only sure way to know is to take a pregnancy test.
A woman may believe she is pregnant for a long time if she has pregnancy symptoms, like morning sickness. In this case, the pregnancy is psychosomatic and exists only in the mind. Doctors used to diagnose pregnancy in the past by relying on a woman’s reported symptoms, before ultrasounds and other advanced tests became available. If the urine test is negative, the doctor may suspect that the woman is not far enough along in her pregnancy for the test to be accurate.
In many women, the abdomen can swell to the point where they look pregnant. This is caused by a build-up of gas or fluid. However, once this situation is resolved through surgery or other medical treatments, the abdomen goes back to its normal size. Many women who struggle to get pregnant and have irregular periods sometimes believe they can sense the presence of life in their womb, similar to feeling a baby moving during a regular pregnancy. This is referred to as “phantom pregnancy.”
Psychologists say that women who think they might be pregnant are usually going through some sort of emotional turmoil. This is because pregnancy is such a life-changing event, and there are so many unknowns that come along with it. For some women, the idea of having a baby is very exciting. For others, it is a source of intense fear. And for others still, it may be a way to try and resolve some of the conflict that they are experiencing in their relationship. Ultimately, every woman’s experience with pregnancy is unique and personal.
When a woman experiences pregnancy delusions, her mental state is the only thing that needs to be treated. There is no one medication that helps resolve the condition because there is no physical reason for the delusion. In the case of irregular periods, medication can help regulate the menstrual cycles. However, in most other cases the only treatment is counselling from a psychotherapist trained to deal with such a situation. The one treatment that is successful is for the woman to have an ultrasound where she can see the screen and will see that there is no baby in there.
