Psychological pregnancy, a real issue

Getting pregnant is the desire of many women, some achieve it without much difficulty and others resist. However, there is a condition that can be somewhat complicated, it is psychological pregnancy.

What is a psychological pregnancy?

This is a rare condition that usually affects women with a very clear desire to be mothers or when they have a very great fear of becoming pregnant.

Among other reasons, excessive sleep for being a mother can become an obsession and trigger symptoms of a normal pregnancy in the female body. Among the changes that can be suffered are: increase in the size of the breasts, the volume of the belly, nausea, back pain, in short, the same symptoms of a normal pregnancy.

Psychological pregnancy has an incidence between 1 and 6 cases for every 22 thousand real pregnancies.

It should be noted that women who have problems communicating and talking about their feelings and what affects them psychologically are more likely to develop a psychological pregnancy. They do it as a kind of response from their body that seeks to relieve the tension they suffer.

This condition can also be called utopian, imaginary pregnancy or Rapunzel syndrome.

Even, as strange as it sounds, being a psychological disorder, it is possible that it also happens to men. Although, yes, the causes that trigger it are different from those of women.

In the male case, it can be suffered as a consequence of identification, that is, anxiety about incipient paternity and the desire to be participants in this stage. This great empathy with their partner can cause their bodies to develop symptoms of pregnancy.

How to treat psychological pregnancy?

It seems obvious, but the first thing to do is confirm or rule out pregnancy. It can be done through rapid pregnancy tests, which are usually negative, or perform a laboratory test.

In some cases the woman may have increased levels of gonadotropin, the pregnancy hormone, and therefore blood and urine pregnancy tests may be positive. So the most reliable way to prove that there is not really a pregnancy is by ultrasound.

Psychological pregnancy is obviously a mental disorder caused by a psychosomatic condition that can hide a depressive picture underneath. Therefore, it is necessary for the gynecologist to understand the patient's condition and redirect her towards the appropriate type of professional help, in this case psychological.

The treatment itself is professional help combined with an understanding of her environment. It is also useful to get in touch with other people who have gone through the same situation, this will make it easier for the woman to understand the origin of the disorder she suffers from and overcome it.

Unfortunately, this condition can leave psychological sequels to women who suffer from it.

Concluding thoghts

In short, to detect a psychological pregnancy it is necessary to make a visit to the doctor and, if necessary, an ultrasound. Furthermore, psychological pregnancies are not hallucinations or voluntary delusions, since the symptoms exist and are very real. Therefore, it is necessary to accompany the woman and not put more pressure on her by treating her as a liar.

I hope that after reading this article you will have a better understanding of this syndrome and that you will be able to understand and have empathy towards the people who suffer from it.

Tell me now, you already know about the psychological pregnancy?

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