Imaginary pregnancy in women: causes, symptoms, treatment

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Every woman at one moment thinks about pregnancy. Nature is so arranged that a woman has a maternal feeling. However, conception is not always real and occurs at the moment when it is needed. The article presented to your attention will tell you about what is an imaginary pregnancy in women. How it develops and what is its root cause, you will learn further.

Status Description

Imaginary pregnancy in women is a pathology that is more related to the psychological than the gynecological field. However, all body systems, including the hormonal one, can be involved in this process.

False or imaginary pregnancy is a condition when a woman is not actually expecting a baby, but at the same time she feels herself in an interesting position. At the same time, the patient physically experiences nausea, a perversion of taste, the abdomen increases, menstruation stops, the mammary glands swell,colostrum. This condition usually does not last more than three months, since it is during this period that the “future mother” turns to the gynecologist for observation, and the doctor makes a true diagnosis. However, there are cases in medicine where an imaginary pregnancy in women lasted 7-9 months, even contractions began.

Reason for development

As you already understood, imaginary pregnancy in women is a pathology. The reasons for its appearance are mostly psychological. This condition develops mainly in the fairer sex, who suffer from infertility. Less commonly, pathology occurs in those ladies who are panicky afraid of conception and childbirth. Here are the main causes and factors contributing to the onset of a false pregnancy:

• the collapse of family relationships is coming (a woman hopes to save them in this way);
• long infertility with unsuccessful treatment;
• recent miscarriage or death of a baby;
• presence in a close circle of pregnant women;
• approaching the age of menopause and the absence of children at the same time;
• fear of getting pregnant;
• psychological disorders.

To figure out why a woman has an imaginary pregnancy, in each individual case, a consultation with a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist and therapist is necessary. Only after a complete examination can we talk about the true causes of this condition.

Imaginary pregnancy in women: signs

This pathology can have twotype of signs. The first type is the physical condition of a woman. The second is the view of a specialist. Imaginary pregnancy in women, the symptoms of which are discussed below, is not a physiologically dangerous condition, but can cause serious damage to the psyche.

So the symptoms are:

• Absence of menstruation. Despite the fact that the pregnancy is false, there is no monthly bleeding. This is what gives a woman a reason to think about her new position. Less commonly, patients have spotting spotting.
• Behavior of the mammary glands. As with normal pregnancy, during a false breast a woman swells and becomes larger. Some women find colostrum secretion, as if the body is preparing for future breastfeeding.
• Manifestations of toxicosis. Almost every patient with a false pregnancy complains of toxicosis. At the same time, the woman feels nausea, malaise, weakness, dizziness. She may develop some chronic diseases. Often, toxicosis is accompanied by severe vomiting, which makes the "future mother" turn to a specialist.
• Fetal movements. Many women with false pregnancies talk about how they feel about their unborn child. They feel movements and can even see the movements of the abdominal wall. In fact, it's just an accumulation of gases.
• Belly growth. There can be two reasons: again, the accumulation of gases and weight gain, since during this period a woman's appetite increases.
• Positive pregnancy test. A very rare sign of a false pregnancy. Only in some caseswith a strong hormonal imbalance, a representative of the weaker sex can get a positive result.

Status Diagnosis

To understand your well-being, you need to contact a gynecologist. To begin with, the doctor will conduct a survey and record all your data in the card. After that, an inspection is required. During palpation, a specialist can detect a slightly enlarged uterus. However, it will not meet the expected timeline. To confirm the diagnosis, an ultrasound examination is mandatory.

On the screen of the apparatus, the specialist will examine the internal organs of the patient, after which he will make his assumption. With a false pregnancy, an increase in the genital organ is determined, the uterus takes the form of a ball. However, no fetal egg or embryo is found in its cavity. The condition of the ovaries is assessed separately. When they stay in this state for a long time, they usually decrease in size greatly.

Phantom pregnancy in women: treatment

Special therapy in this situation is not required. For most patients, it is enough to be convinced of their diagnosis and believe that there is actually no pregnancy. After that, their condition is normalized. Within a few days, menstruation begins, and the cycle acquires its former regularity.

In more severe situations, the patient may need the help of a psychologist. This happens if a false pregnancy was preceded by an unsuccessful conception orchildbirth with infant death. In this situation, the patient simply cannot get out of depression on her own. All relatives and close people are necessarily involved in the process.

Some women may need to see an endocrinologist after a false pregnancy. This is necessary with a strong hormonal failure. The doctor conducts tests and prescribes appropriate drugs that will help restore the cycle and normalize the hormonal system.

Forecasts

In most cases, a false pregnancy does not affect a woman's he alth in any way. Only in some situations it can affect the psyche. In this case, a consultation with a psychologist will help solve the problem.

Usually, women who want to give birth to a baby can begin to conceive immediately after the restoration of the cycle (1-3 months). In this case, the result is often positive. Rarely, fake pregnancy can lead to serious he alth problems.

Summarize

You have learned what constitutes an imaginary pregnancy in women. Photos of some patients are presented to your attention. In recent years, this condition has been observed very rarely, since medical capabilities make it possible to determine the presence of an embryo in the uterus at the very early stages.