Every representative of the fair sex at one point thinks about pregnancy. Nature is designed in such a way 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 what an imaginary pregnancy is in women. You will learn further how it develops and what is its root cause.

State Description

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

A false or imaginary pregnancy is a condition when a woman is not actually expecting a child, but at the same time feels in an interesting position. In this case, the patient physically experiences nausea, perversion of taste, the abdomen enlarges, menstruation stops, the mammary glands swell, and colostrum may be released from the nipples. This condition usually does not last more than three months, since it is during this period that the “future mother” turns to a gynecologist for observation, and the doctor makes a true diagnosis. However, medicine knows of cases where an imaginary pregnancy in women lasted 7-9 months, even contractions occurred.

Reasons for development

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

• the collapse of family relationships is coming (the woman hopes to preserve them in this way);
• long-term infertility with unsuccessful treatment;
• recent miscarriage or death of a child;
• presence in a close circle;
• approaching the age of menopause and the simultaneous absence of children;
• fear of getting pregnant;
• psychological disorders.

To understand why a woman has an imaginary pregnancy, in each individual case a consultation with a 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 two types of symptoms. The first type is the physical condition of the 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:

• Lack 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 experience spotting and spotting.
• Behavior of the mammary glands. As with a normal pregnancy, during a false pregnancy a woman’s breasts swell and become larger. Some representatives of the fairer sex detect the release of colostrum, as if the body is preparing for future breastfeeding.
• Manifestations of toxicosis. Almost every patient with a false pregnancy complains of toxicosis. In this case, the woman feels nausea, malaise, weakness, and dizziness. Some chronic diseases may worsen. Toxicosis is often accompanied by severe vomiting, which forces the “future mother” to consult a specialist.
• Fetal movements. Many women with false pregnancies say that they feel their unborn child. They feel movements and may even see movements of the abdominal wall. In fact, it is just an accumulation of gases.
• Belly growth. There may be two reasons: again, 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 cases, with a strong hormonal imbalance, a representative of the fairer sex can get a positive result.

Diagnosis of the condition

To understand your health, you need to see a gynecologist. To begin with, the doctor will conduct a survey and record all your data in the card. After this, an inspection is required. During palpation, the specialist may detect a slightly enlarged uterus. However, it will not meet the expected time frame. An ultrasound examination is required to confirm the diagnosis.

On the device’s screen, the specialist will examine the patient’s internal organs and then make his/her opinion. With a false pregnancy, the genital organ becomes enlarged and the uterus takes on the shape of a ball. However, no fertilized egg or embryo is found in its cavity. The condition of the ovaries is assessed separately. When left in this state for a long time, they usually decrease greatly in size.

Imaginary pregnancy in women: treatment

No special therapy is required in this situation. For most patients, it is enough to confirm their diagnosis and believe that there is actually no pregnancy. After this, their condition returns to normal. Within a few days, menstruation begins, and the cycle regains its former regularity.

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

Some women may need to consult an endocrinologist after a false pregnancy. This is necessary in case of severe hormonal imbalance. The doctor conducts tests and prescribes appropriate medications that will help restore the cycle and normalize the functioning of the hormonal system.

Forecasts

In most cases, false pregnancy does not affect a woman’s health in any way. Only in certain situations can it affect the psyche. In this case, consulting a psychologist will help solve the problem.

Typically, women who want to give birth to a baby can begin to conceive immediately after the cycle has been restored (1-3 months). In this case, the result is often positive. Rarely, an imaginary pregnancy can lead to serious health problems.

Summarize

You have learned what an imaginary pregnancy is 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 earliest stages.

False pregnancy is a complex and quite rare mental phenomenon. A woman exhibits all the signs of pregnancy (absence of menstruation, nausea and vomiting in the morning, dizziness, abdominal enlargement, etc.), although in reality she is not pregnant, i.e. the growth and development of the embryo does not occur in it.

Today, modern methods of treatment and diagnosis make it possible to quickly identify a false pregnancy, but in the recent past there were cases where women were hospitalized, suspecting the ninth month of carrying a child and an early birth.

Most often, young girls who have recently completed puberty and young girls make this “mistake,” however, an imaginary pregnancy can also occur in older women. Cases of such an error have occurred even among women who have given birth multiple times.

Causes of occurrence

The causes of false pregnancy are mental. At first, the woman thinks she is pregnant. Then she becomes so involved in this role that not only her behavior changes, but the entire physiological state of the body changes, and signs of pregnancy appear. The reasons for this phenomenon are closely related to the psyche. This phenomenon is observed, as a rule, in older women who passionately desire to have children. Sometimes it occurs (as a protective mechanism) in young girls who are afraid of getting pregnant.

In addition, an imaginary pregnancy can be a consequence of so-called secondary amenorrhea. Secondary amenorrhea is the absence of menstruation for more than 6 months. It can be caused by a slowdown in the maturation process, suppressed sexuality, physical fatigue, exhaustion of the body, stress, as well as prolonged separation from family.

Symptoms

This condition can occur in different ways. With a pronounced form, menstruation stops and the uterus enlarges. At first, these women (like “real” pregnant women) experience ailments characteristic of pregnancy - nausea and vomiting in the morning. They gain weight, their breasts and stomach enlarge. Women even “feel” the movement of the fetus, which intensifies as the “due date” approaches. After reading scientific literature and articles on the Internet on this topic, the girl thinks that the diagnosis is confirmed and that in the near future she will give birth to a child.

Treatment

Today, a doctor can quite easily distinguish a “real” pregnancy from a false one. Due to the fact that the embryo does not develop in the womb of a woman, certain studies (pregnancy test, ECG, ultrasound) can accurately establish that no additions to the family are expected yet. Even if the causes of the condition are mental, you need to consult a gynecologist. The doctor should be most concerned not with the somatic (physical), but with the mental well-being of the patient. He must find out the reasons for the appearance of such a condition, understand them and very subtly explain to the woman her condition. In most cases, this is enough for all signs of an imaginary pregnancy to disappear. If a woman cannot be convinced that her pregnancy is the result of self-hypnosis, the help of a psychotherapist is necessary. In addition, the doctor can additionally prescribe hormones, when taken, menstruation resumes and the obvious effect of all symptoms ceases.

False pregnancy is a unique expression of a woman’s mental immaturity. Even if a doctor manages to prove to a woman that she has inspired herself to expect a child, this does not mean that recovery will occur. This phenomenon can have relapses and be repeated many times during periods of psychological tension, stress, depression, tedious waiting to give birth to a child and unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant.

Sometimes an imaginary pregnancy is induced artificially, for example, due to underdevelopment of the mammary glands or uterus. Over the course of 8-12 weeks, the woman’s dose of estrogens and gestagens is gradually increased. To maintain the effect of treatment, an ointment containing estradiol and progesterone is used.

Overall, this is a mental problem. However, a similar condition can also be caused by an ovarian tumor. Impaired ovarian function may be accompanied by an enlarged abdomen, signs of pregnancy, and severe pain in the lower abdomen. In this case, you must urgently consult a gynecologist.

Just recently I encountered a friend of mine’s “immersion” in the “process” of pregnancy, and, you know, I’m a little scared by how unconscious and frivolous the beginning of this process was and how difficult and strange it develops further.

Perhaps the beginning of my article seemed a little intricate and confusing to you, but I think that further everything will be simple and clear. So I mentioned the girl. She is 19 years old. She got married in the summer and is now four months pregnant. From the moment I learned about her physiological state, I began to watch with curiosity the process, as I already said, of her descent into pregnancy. I will not talk now about the fact that 19 years is quite early, because for each person the age of becoming a mother is different, and this is absolutely not what I want to focus my attention on.

Well, closer to the topic. A girl I know is not stupid, but, in my opinion, she is completely unprepared for pregnancy in moral terms. At first it seemed to me that I was mistaken, but as the changes in her body progressed, I became more and more convinced of this. The person simply made himself believe that he was ready for such an event, but in fact no underlying basis for this existed and does not exist. Almost from the first week of pregnancy, she behaved as if she were sick and not a pregnant woman. She began to see problems, obstacles and everything like that everywhere. But all this is nonsense compared to the fact that she has become terribly fixated on her own condition. She began to invent imaginary health problems. She really began to move barely and said that her whole body hurt terribly. Don’t think, I’m not saying that she was lying, because everything is individual, especially in such an issue as pregnancy, but the fact that this girl really began to come up with unnecessary problems is impossible and pointless to deny.

So, here is the problem that I want to talk about - self-hypnosis, and negative self-hypnosis. Everyone has heard that self-hypnosis can work miracles, and so, in the case of a pregnant woman, self-hypnosis can work not just miracles, but also torment the woman and lead to terrible things. When a person is overly fixated on his health, he constantly provokes himself to illness, purely psychologically, and, as we know, the psychological basis is the cause of quite a large number of all kinds of diseases.

In the case of this girl, such self-hypnosis led to several cases of hospitalization with a threat of miscarriage and exhaustion, which is really scary. It would be wrong to say that the cause of the threat of miscarriage was some kind of mystical self-suggestion, however, it would be foolish not to take this factor into account.

I brought up this topic because many young women who have never given birth suffer from such stupid thoughts. My dears, you can’t focus so much on your condition, or rather, force yourself to look for some problems, because in this case, in the end, you will find these very problems, only those provoked by you yourself. Are you sure you want this? Hardly. Therefore, finally learn to perceive pregnancy as nothing more than pregnancy. Remember, this is not a disease. Yes, pregnancy requires certain restrictions and monitoring of your health, but only monitoring, and not going crazy on this basis.

In order to be healthy, you need to lead an active lifestyle, albeit within a certain framework of rationalism, eat right and enjoy the world around you. You, young mothers, are required to bear and give birth to a healthy child, and not torment yourself and your baby with incomprehensible neuroses based on imaginary problems. Take care of yourself and your unborn child.

Of course, those hormonal “waves” that arise in the body of the expectant mother provoke her to restless thoughts, but this does not mean that you need to constantly be captive of these thoughts. Try to find something more useful to do. Read interesting literature, study cuisine, types of handicrafts, design your apartment and create comfort. Engage yourself as much as possible so that there is no room in your life for dark thoughts that can eat you from the inside.

For some reason, expectant mothers often forget their former interests during pregnancy. I think this is wrong, because when, if not during pregnancy, should you do something that brings you positive emotions. And one more question: why do young mothers stop caring for themselves? Like, I'm pregnant, why should I? What nonsense? You are an expectant mother, you should radiate light and health, not dullness and hopelessness into this world. Show others how wonderful it is to live in the feeling of the birth of a new life. Finally, fulfill your social role. Be beautiful, cheerful and healthy, don’t think about the bad!

A person can be deceived - this is not a secret. He can be instilled with false goals, instilled with love for the wrong ideals, and made to believe in outright nonsense. What do you think, is it possible to deceive... a woman's ovary? Suggest something incredible to your hormones? Force the uterus to carry out a meaningless and self-defeating plan? Are you going to twirl your finger at your temple? Absolutely right, you hit the nail on the head!

The brain, the most energy-consuming, least studied and strangest organ, is also a magnificent swindler, magician and deceiver. The human brain knows how to find reserves in case of unforeseen situations, is able to react instantly, calculate options, create super-efforts... And the brain and something that we call consciousness are able to fulfill desires.

Lose weight, grow a little more, get sick for a test. Or secretly, in a whisper, at the bottom of the soul - such a small, hidden desire. Intimate, scared, lost, without hope, but with faith, with the memory of unsuccessful tests or the harsh words of doctors. Get pregnant. Please.

And the woman begins to experience all the signs of pregnancy - first, a delay (though the test won’t show anything - “oh well - they always lie anyway!”), heaviness and engorgement of the breasts, mood changes, and for some, morning sickness. Menstruation will never return, but in a month or two - everything is on schedule! - there will be a slight increase in weight, you will want watermelon. Or herrings. Or both watermelon and herring at the same time. And with ice cream!

But then, when the happy expectant mother finally goes to the antenatal clinic to fill out all the paperwork and register, the doctor will disappoint her - in fact, there is no pregnancy. Mind games, cruel brain jokes - nothing more. And the woman who proudly carried her growing belly, drooping, goes to a psychologist - pseudo-pregnancy or false pregnancy, a severe psycho-emotional disorder, is treated not by gynecologists, but by specialists in human souls.

Even Hippocrates around 300 BC. e. described 12 cases of pseudo-pregnancy, and the story of the English Queen Mary I Tudor, whose long-awaited pregnancy turned out to be false, became a textbook. According to official statistics from the US Department of Health, out of 22 thousand pregnancies, 6 are false. In the “risk group”, first of all, women are closer to the end of the reproductive period (38-45 years), who have been trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant for many years, followed by women who have experienced the death of a child or a miscarriage, and women who have convinced themselves that having a child will save them. their relationship with a man. Easily excitable, unbalanced, suspicious women also succumb to desire and, especially if children appear with friends, neighbors, relatives, suggest pregnancy to themselves.

It is not surprising, but the cause of a false pregnancy can be, although extremely rarely, ... a strong fear of the birth of a child. Social morality - a woman must give birth - and the desire to realize the maternal instinct come into crushing conflict with deep-seated fear. As a result, a particularly sensitive woman may experience signs of pregnancy, but she does not agree to “go through” her fear during real childbirth. There are studies that show the important role of feelings of potential guilt and fear of the consequences of having a child. For example, in Canada, false pregnancies are four times more common among single Catholic women than among Protestant women, whose community is less aggressive about having children out of wedlock.

You should not think that a “pseudo-pregnant” woman is maliciously deceiving someone. In fact, she is more convinced than anyone else that the baby will be born soon. She feels nausea and dizziness, has a heightened perception of smells, and feels the desire to eat something “sour” or “salty.” Her belly is really growing, her arms and legs are swelling, her breasts are swelling. It’s just that, according to psychologists, the stomach increases not in order to make room for the development of a new life, but due to additional curvature of the spine, expansion of the intestines and accumulation of gases. Menstrual irregularities, breast changes and mood swings Mood swings in women - bad character or illness?

Is it possible to understand whether there is a pregnancy or not even before the delay? What about immediately after conception? Are all the stories of “experienced” women who confidently declare that they can name the day and hour when they became pregnant down to the minute true?

Desire is a terrible force, and self-hypnosis can move mountains. From “I felt a sharp prick, it was probably the sperm attaching” to “I dreamed of my son and said that he is now with me,” from a wild appetite the day after fateful sex to cramps in the lower abdomen and aching breasts on the eve of the supposed, but never having a period.

The earliest signs of pregnancy: what women talk about

• About three days after I conceived, I wanted something... So I ate a salted tomato with a bowl of ice cream. And then I gnawed on some frozen meat. (Olga, 25 years old)
• One morning the smell of my husband’s eau de toilette began to infuriate me. Then, after a while, I realized that the night before we had conceived our princess, but then I was not surprised, I have always been sensitive to smells. (Vika, 30 years old)
• I thought I was sick because I was constantly dizzy and wanted to sleep. But after two weeks my period did not start, and I realized that I was simply pregnant! (Nastya, 22 years old)
• I’ve never dreamed of fish, but here I just spend the whole night choosing herring, fatty, lightly salted... Of course, after three weeks there’s a delay! I am pregnant! (Ira, 22 years old)

If you think about it, has it ever happened that you had a ravenous appetite on its own, without any pregnancy? Did your breasts hurt before your period? Feeling nauseous?

And who remembers dreams if they don’t come true? In fact, few people remember them at all, but what does it sound like “I saw an unborn child in a dream...”

Not all pregnant women have perverted eating habits, chest or stomach pain, but a labile psyche can give strange desires and sensations to a woman who is tormenting herself with hope. By the way, how to arrange a delay - as they say, on nerves.

There are no physiological reasons for gluttony, fatigue, drowsiness, hysteria, cramps, dry mouth, chest pain, strange dreams and a million other “first signs of pregnancy before miscarriage”; psychological - as many as you like.

Dreams, premonitions, fortune telling, positive attitudes and pregnancy are something from the realm of the completely unknown and metaphysical, and therefore can lead to hysteria rather than to the maternity hospital. Most often, a woman wants to get pregnant so badly that she is ready to think - or rather, invent - anything.

The very first signs of pregnancy: what doctors think

Among the earliest signs of pregnancy, even before the first delay, which obstetricians can hardly believe in, are, of course, breast tenderness (although who doesn’t have breast pain on the eve of menstruation?), mild fatigue or anxiety, headache and dizziness, especially if there is a history of neurological problems.

There are cases from practice when so-called fevers on the lips appeared or thrush on the genitals worsened, which can somehow be explained by nerves, changed hormonal levels and the immune system reacting to this.

Objective reality is cruel: most women begin to suspect that they are pregnant only when their periods do not arrive at the expected time. A pharmacy test usually dispels suspicions and instills confidence, which is then confirmed by the doctor.

And then, at about four weeks, the majority begin to experience very subjective, but still signs of pregnancy:

• breast swelling and tenderness
• increased pigmentation of nipple areolas
• fatigue, tearfulness, drowsiness
• mood swings
• increased appetite and cravings for certain foods
• aversion to foods and smells
• morning sickness (ta-dam!!!)
• bloating and flatulence
• back pain (especially in women with kidney problems)
• frequent urination.

However, modern realities are such that quite a few, especially women who have never given birth before, continue to menstruate in the first trimester. Therefore, pay attention if your period, although it came on time, was unusually pale, short and inexpressive, this may also be a sign of pregnancy.

However, in this case, a pregnancy test may turn out to be uninformative due to certain hormonal characteristics, therefore, in order to dot all the i's, it is better to visit a doctor.

Tamara Rappel