False pregnancy
Symptoms of False Pregnancy:
- amenorrhea (absence of menstruation)
- nausea, vomiting
See also
- breast pain
- weight gain
False pregnancy: a psychological phenomenon
There hysterical pregnancy or false pregnancy it is an exclusively psychological phenomenon, which is not taken into consideration in the medical field.
This phenomenon affects women who feel a strong desire for motherhood or, on the contrary, those who are afraid of a possible pregnancy.
It occurs mainly among younger girls (whose desire to become a mother is so strong that they believe they are pregnant) or older women (who cannot accept the fact that they can no longer have children). False pregnancy can also affect those women who have a real pregnancy phobia.
These two opposite drives (fear or desire) act in the same way on the hypothalamus, preventing it from sending orders to the ovaries, and the interruption of the menstrual cycle is the direct consequence. At this point, due to an auto-suggestion mechanism, the woman's body begins to show all the symptoms of pregnancy (pain in the breasts, nausea and swelling of the belly). A simple pregnancy test will remove any doubts.
Psychological support
If the pregnancy test reveals that the woman is not pregnant but continues to be convinced that she is, it is necessary to consult a psychologist to help her admit the reality. Psychological support is even more important when the causes of false pregnancy are related to any family problems, which must be identified and analyzed to avoid a recurrence of the phenomenon.
On the other hand, it may happen that the impression of being pregnant is due to some health problems, such as a dysfunction of the ovaries with consequent swelling of the uterus. If you see your abdomen swelling even though there is no reason to think about pregnancy, see a doctor.
