Symptoms of pregnancy without being pregnant

False Pregnancy (Pseudocyesis): Causes, Symptoms, and Tests

Written by Stephanie Watson

Reviewed by Traci C. Johnson, MD on August 12, 2022

False pregnancy, clinically termed pseudocyesis, is the belief that you are expecting a baby when you are not really carrying a child. People with pseudocyesis have many, if not all, symptoms of pregnancy -- with the exception of an actual fetus. Some men experience a related phenomenon known as couvade, or sympathetic pregnancy. They will develop many of the same symptoms as their pregnant partners, including weight gain, nausea, and backache.

What Causes False Pregnancy?

Only recently have doctors begun to understand the psychological and physical issues that are at the root of pseudocyesis. Although the exact causes still aren't known, doctors suspect that psychological factors may trick the body into "thinking" that it's pregnant.

When a woman feels an intense desire to get pregnant, which may be because of infertility, repeat miscarriages, impending menopause, or a desire to get married, their body may produce some pregnancy signs (such as a swollen belly, enlarged breasts, and even the sensation of fetal movement). The woman's brain then misinterprets those signals as pregnancy, and triggers the release of hormones (such as estrogen and prolactin) that lead to actual pregnancy symptoms.

Some researchers have suggested that poverty, a lack of education, childhood sexual abuse, or relationship problems might play a role in triggering false pregnancy. Having a false pregnancy is not the same as claiming to be pregnant for a benefit (for example, to profit financially), or having delusions of pregnancy (such as in patients with schizophrenia).

Symptoms of False Pregnancy

Women with pseudocyesis have many of the same symptoms as those who are actually pregnant, including:

Interruption of the menstrual period
Swollen belly
Enlarged and tender breasts, changes in the nipples, and possibly milk production
Feeling of fetal movements
Nausea and vomiting
Weight gain

These symptoms can last for just a few weeks, for nine months, or even for several years. A very small percentage of patients with false pregnancy will arrive at the doctor's office or hospital with what feels like labor pains.

Tests for False Pregnancy

To determine whether a woman is experiencing a false pregnancy, the doctor will usually evaluate their symptoms, perform a pelvic exam and abdominal ultrasound -- the same tests used to feel and visualize the unborn baby during a normal pregnancy.

In a case of false pregnancy, no baby will be seen on the ultrasound, and there won't be any heartbeat. Sometimes, however, the doctor will find some of the physical changes that occur during pregnancy, such as an enlarged uterus and softened cervix. Urine pregnancy tests will always be negative in these cases, with the exception of rare cancers that produce similar hormones to pregnancy.

Certain medical conditions can mimic the symptoms of pregnancy, including ectopic pregnancy, morbid obesity, and cancer. These conditions may need to be ruled out with tests.

Treating False Pregnancy

When women believe they are pregnant, especially for a period of several months, it can be very upsetting for them to learn that they are not. Doctors need to gently break the news, and provide psychological support, including therapy, to help the patient with pseudocyesis recover from their disappointment.

What Is a False Pregnancy?

A woman’s intuition is a funny thing. Most women know they are pregnant before they are even far enough along to take a test; we know our bodies and when something is different we can just feel it. What about a phantom pregnancy? There are times when even a woman’s intuition is off and our body tells us we are pregnant when in fact, we are not. This is a phenomenon called Pseudocyesis or a false pregnancy.

Pseudocyesis is the medical term for a false pregnancy or what some people refer to as a phantom pregnancy. False pregnancy is characterized by the typical pregnancy symptoms including weight gain, growing belly, morning sickness, irritability, and backache; all the signs of being pregnant without carrying an actual baby.
Contrary to what many people believe, false pregnancy is not only found in women but men as well. When a man suffers a false pregnancy, it is usually called Sympathetic Pregnancy.

This is more common when his significant other is pregnant and is dealing with the normal aches and pains that are associated with pregnancy. The medical term when men experience this is called Couvade.

What Causes Pseudocyesis?

Pseudocyesis is extremely rare in both men and women so doctors are still trying to piece together the root cause of the condition. Some believe the cause is physical while others believe it is psychological.
Some believe that the cause comes from trauma, either a physical or mental trauma, while others believe it is a chemical imbalance.

Issues that may create a false pregnancy or Pseudocyesis include:

Miscarriage (usually more than one)
Infertility
Loss of a child
Mental breakdown

In addition, there are also real physical causes as well which include ovarian tumors and a chemical imbalance in the brain that in a way “tricks” the body into thinking it is pregnant.

Out of all of the causes listed above, the most common documented cause is simple – a woman wants to get pregnant so badly that she mentally convinces herself that she is pregnant. There are many reasons why she is not getting pregnant including infertility or simply coming up to menopause.
In fact, many women about to enter menopause will go through some form of depression that can lead to a false pregnancy.

When a woman suffers from pseudocyesis, she will develop just as she would during a regular pregnancy; starting out with things like morning sickness and frequency in urination and then it will develop into swollen and sore breasts and eventually into a swollen belly and the look of being pregnant. The only real difference is that there is no real baby and no labor, but possibly the feel of being in labor.
There are also cases where it has been shown that patients who suffer from this condition have also experienced some kind of sexual abuse, poverty or other type of emotional trauma. Creating a pregnancy is their brain’s way of coping with the experience.

Signs of Pseudocyesis or a False Pregnancy

Most women who suffer from a false pregnancy truly believe they are pregnant because they experience the same pregnancy symptoms. The signs of false pregnancy are the same as a typical pregnancy.

missed periods
swollen belly
weight gain
frequent urination
changes in skin and hair
swollen breasts
sensations of fetal movement and contractions
morning sickness

Additionally, just being generally uncomfortable is also a very common symptom. The only way to ensure they are not actually pregnant is to run tests and complete a physical examination. It is important to remember that a false pregnancy differs greatly from a false pregnancy test.

Tests For Pseudocyesis or False Pregnancy

Since Pseudocyesis mimics every detail of pregnancy, it is important that a doctor ensures that it is actually a fake pregnancy and not a real one. The same tests to confirm an actual pregnancy are done to diagnose a false pregnancy.
These tests start with a physical exam including a pelvic exam to determine if there has been any type of conception. Then a urinalysis is completed to verify the findings. A urinalysis will usually come back negative unless the woman is suffering from an illness like a very rare cancer that releases the same hormones as pregnancy.

Ultrasound is another test that will determine if a pregnancy is true or false. This will show, in the event of a false pregnancy that there is no fetus but in some severe cases, the ultrasound may show a softening of the cervix, just as it would in a true pregnancy.
An ultrasound is the only test that will 100% disprove or prove a pregnancy.

How To Treat a False Pregnancy or Pseudocyesis

Pregnancy, whether true or false, is an exciting time for an expectant mother. For those who really are pregnant, they enjoy the 9 months they have to bond with their unborn baby, prepare a nursery and get ready to become a parent.
That said, those who think and feel like they are pregnant are also feeling that same excitement for the next 9 months and beyond. They are looking forward to raising their baby in their home – watching him or her have their first bath, take their first steps and grow like a typical kid.

Now she is about to find out that what she is feeling, what she is looking forward to, is not going to happen. It is all in her head. Now imagine being the bearer of this news and attempting to treat her; knowing that she had this excitement built up just to have it crushed.

Treating a false pregnancy is very difficult since it is a delicate situation, it is not necessarily a medical problem but more psychological where symptoms can last anywhere from a few weeks to the whole 9 months, to even years.
After a doctor has proven for a fact that this is indeed a false pregnancy, they will then conduct some psychological exams to ensure that there is no underlying psychological or neurological condition. After this, they will provide psychological therapy and emotional support as these are the only way to treat pseudocyesis.

Want to Know More?

Am I Pregnant? FAQs on Early Pregnancy
Am I Pregnant, Or is It Something Else
Getting Pregnant

Compiled using information from the following sources:

1. Datta, S., ed., Anesthetic and Obstetric Management of High-Risk Pregnancy, third ed., New York, Springer, 2004.

2. Tarin JJ, et al. 2013. Endocrinology and physiology of pseudocyesis. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 11(1):39.

https://rbej.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1477-7827-11-39

3. Gabbe S.G., Niebyl, J.R., Simpson, J.L., eds. Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies, fifth ed. , Philadelphia, Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2007.

"False pregnancy" in women. What's this?

Home/About clinic/Useful/ "False pregnancy" in women. What's this?

July 25, 2019

False (imaginary) pregnancy has been described by doctors since the time of Hippocarat. In Latin, this phenomenon is called pseudocyesis. In this case, a woman can feel all the signs of pregnancy, but in fact there is no developing fetus in the uterus. Most often, this condition appears in women who are suspicious and susceptible, with a mobile psyche, an overly excitable central nervous system, who have experienced stress or shock.

False pregnancy sometimes occurs in those women who strongly want to have a child. It may be the other way around - the fear of motherhood becomes the ground for its development. Patients who suffer from infertility for many years and undergo long-term treatment for this often feel falsely pregnant. Reaching despair, they begin, through self-hypnosis, to look for symptoms in themselves that indicate pregnancy.

A false pregnancy can be caused by a hormonal imbalance. Regular stress causes the body to produce a lot of pituitary hormones, the increase in which is also observed during real pregnancy.

Women may lag behind in the development of the mammary glands or uterus ("baby uterus"). Under these conditions, doctors may prescribe a long course of taking hormonal drugs that lead to menstrual irregularities. A woman often takes the absence of menstruation as a sign of pregnancy.

False pregnancy manifests itself in the same way as a real one.

Main (doubtful) signs of false pregnancy:

- Morning sickness or vomiting

- Increases the perception of smells, changes in taste sensations and preferences
- Mood swings occur
- In rare cases, a woman even feels the movements of a non-existent fetus

The above signs are considered doubtful because the woman herself talks about them. The situation becomes more convincing if there are likely signs. These include the following:

- Cessation of menses, long delays
- Enlargement and engorgement of the mammary glands, sometimes there is the appearance of characteristic pigmentation in the area of the halo and nipples
- There may be a discharge from the nipples similar to colostrum
- Belly increases in size

The condition of a false pregnancy is so similar to a real pregnancy that the woman is firmly convinced that she is expecting a child. Claiming her interesting position, she does not deceive anyone!

The most surprising thing is that a test for the presence of hCG in the urine can also show a positive result. This fact will further convince the woman of a real pregnancy. However, hCG can also increase if there is a cyst, a pelvic tumor, or some other pathology.

Women may sometimes see two lines on the test during a false pregnancy. This is possible if they take a course of hormonal fertility drugs that contain hCG. It is also impossible to exclude the situation in which the test is damaged (marriage or improper storage).

Obstetrician-gynecologists of the IVF and reproductive health clinic "Genome-Don" recommend to confirm the presence of pregnancy with the help of transvaginal ultrasound, starting from the 1st week
menses delay.

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False pregnancy in women | Symptoms, causes and how to track false sensations of pregnancy

Varvara

Mytishchi

A false pregnancy is a condition that is characterized by signs of pregnancy in its actual absence. This disorder is the result of self-hypnosis in women who passionately dream of a child, or, on the contrary, are afraid of pregnancy and childbirth. As a rule, a false pregnancy develops against the background of hormonal disorders and nervous diseases: neurosis, depression. One of the most striking examples of the development of an imaginary pregnancy is the wife of Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. After giving birth to four daughters who were not eligible for the throne, she was obsessed with the birth of an heir. For many months, the queen was sure that she was expecting a child, but this was not true.

False pregnancy in women: symptoms

A false pregnancy is accompanied by signs characteristic of a normal pregnancy:

a woman stops menstruating;
mood swings are observed;
mammary glands increase in volume and become painful;
classic symptoms of toxicosis occur: food preferences change, nausea and vomiting appear;
growing belly;
woman feels fetal movements;
Colostrum is secreted from the breast.

These symptoms cannot be called far-fetched. A woman really feels the signs of pregnancy, and they arise due to changes developing in the body. So, for example, the stomach increases due to the growth of subcutaneous tissue, and "baby movements" appear due to constipation and gases.

False pregnancy in women: causes

The psychological state of a woman plays a large role in the appearance of false symptoms of pregnancy. There are various reasons that stimulate their development:

the girl is sexually active and burdened by guilt;
a woman has been unsuccessfully struggling with infertility for many years;
a woman wants to have a baby to save her marriage;
a widowed woman;
a couple is experiencing the death of a child;
a close friend or relative is pregnant;
a woman is terrified of childbirth.

In some cases, the psychological factor turns out to be secondary. Physiological causes are leading.

Hormonal failure. Violations in the endocrine system can lead to amenorrhea - the disappearance of menstruation for six or more months. Against the background of this symptom, a woman can convince herself of the onset of pregnancy.
Tumors in the pelvic organs. They can also cause menstruation to stop and obsessive thoughts about the upcoming birth of a child.

In both cases, specialists observe disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system and hormonal imbalance. In a false pregnancy in women, the level of follicle-stimulating hormone and prolactin increases, and the levels of luteinizing hormone decrease.

How long does a false pregnancy last?

An imaginary pregnancy can last 3-4 months. In exceptional cases, it is delayed up to 7 months, but on condition that the woman refuses to diagnose her condition.

Modern methods for determining pregnancy allow you to confirm or refute a woman's suspicions in a matter of minutes. Pregnancy tests are very popular. They are sensitive to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone that begins to be actively produced from day 2 after implantation of a fertilized egg. However, in some cases, pregnancy tests are false positive. Errors happen:

if the test is defective;
if, after a recent termination of pregnancy, embryonic tissue remains in the uterus;
if the woman is taking fertility drugs containing hCG;
if the woman has tumors (hydatidiform mole or uterine chorionepithelioma).

For a more accurate diagnosis, it is advisable to contact a gynecologist. The standard list of studies includes:

Gynecological examination. Objective signs of pregnancy are already visible at 5-6 weeks. The uterus increases in size, and its body softens. The hue of the mucosa also changes - it becomes cyanotic (cyanotic).
Blood test for hCG. Laboratory research eliminates the error. With the help of the analysis, you can find out the concentration of hCG and the exact gestational age.
Ultrasound diagnostics. Allows you to detect pregnancy, starting from 3-4 weeks.

If the cause of a false pregnancy is a psychological disorder, the absence of pregnancy may come as a shock to the woman. Therefore, during the consultation based on the results of the examination, the doctor should show maximum tact. The imaginary pregnant woman must understand and accept the fact that she is mistaken. After that, the false sensations of pregnancy should disappear. If this does not happen, the help of a psychologist or psychiatrist may be required.

If the symptoms of a false pregnancy are provoked by physiology, a woman needs to undergo an additional examination and find out the exact cause of her condition. In case of hormonal imbalance, experts recommend a course of treatment with combined oral contraceptives (COCs). They normalize the level of hormones in the blood and the menstrual cycle.

Can a false pregnancy be repeated? In the vast majority of cases, this condition does not relapse.