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{{Short description|Pregnancy not noticed until labor}} |
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| ⚫ | The term '''cryptic pregnancy''' is used by medical professionals to describe a pregnancy that is not recognized by the |
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{{reliable sources|date=July 2021}} |
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| ⚫ | The term '''cryptic pregnancy''' is used by medical professionals to describe a [[pregnancy]] that is not recognized by the woman who is pregnant until she is in labor or has [[childbirth|given birth]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-a-Cryptic-Pregnancy.aspx|title=What is a Cryptic Pregnancy?|date=2019-09-10|website=News-Medical.net|language=en|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref> The term is also used online for a special form of [[false pregnancy]] (pseudocyesis), or delusion of pregnancy, in which a woman who has no medical verification of pregnancy believes that she is pregnant. |
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== Medically cryptic pregnancies == |
== Medically cryptic pregnancies == |
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The television series ''I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant''<ref>{{Citation|title=Unknowingly Pregnant Woman Attends Military Training {{!}} I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei93Pf3kbRk|language=en|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref> shared the stories of women who had experienced medically cryptic pregnancies. They |
The television series ''[[I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant]]''<ref>{{Citation|title=Unknowingly Pregnant Woman Attends Military Training {{!}} I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei93Pf3kbRk|language=en|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref> shared the stories of women who had experienced medically cryptic pregnancies. They did not realize they were pregnant until they were in labor or had given birth. Nearly all the featured stories involved women who had intermittent bleeding throughout pregnancy that they misinterpreted as [[menstruation]], while some cited not having regular periods due to [[polycystic ovary syndrome|polycystic ovarian syndrome]] (PCOS), or other conditions that are associated with [[infertility]]. The women involved often did not gain weight or experience other major symptoms of pregnancy, such as [[morning sickness]] or breast sensitivity. Those who did experience some symptoms of pregnancy either claimed to attribute the symptoms to an existing condition, claimed to have taken a home [[pregnancy test]] and gotten a negative result, or both. |
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A few of the stories involved women who had known they were pregnant and experienced an early miscarriage, only to realize they were still pregnant when the baby was being born. It is common that after the birth the new |
A few of the stories involved women who had known they were pregnant and experienced an early [[miscarriage]], only to realize they were still pregnant when the baby was being born. It is common that after the birth the new mother looks back and realizes that there were some signs of pregnancy she had ignored. For women who have had a typical pregnancy, the assumption is that there is no way to not "feel" a pregnancy. However, [[Obstetrics|obstetricians]] on the show explained that, depending on the position of the [[placenta]], the sensations of a baby moving can be minimal. In 2015, the show's spin off, ''I Still Didn't Know I Was Pregnant'', featured women who had experienced multiple medically cryptic pregnancies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/tv/i-didnt-know-i-was-pregnant-tawanda-has-two-surprise-babies-in-tlc-special/|title=Meet the Woman Who Didn't Know She Was Pregnant – Twice!|website=PEOPLE.com|language=en|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref> |
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== Causes == |
== Causes == |
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The causes of medically cryptic pregnancies are either physiological, that is, there were no recognizable symptoms of pregnancy, or can be due to psychological problems. For example, [[denial of pregnancy| |
The causes of medically cryptic pregnancies are either physiological, that is, there were no recognizable symptoms of pregnancy, or can be due to psychological problems. For example, [[denial of pregnancy|denied pregnancy]] is a condition in which a woman is mentally unable to accept that she is pregnant and so may go part way or all the way through a pregnancy unconscious of her pregnancy. This phenomenon is sometimes linked to other mental health diagnostic labels.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.webmd.com/baby/features/can-you-be-pregnant-not-know-it|title=Can You Be Pregnant and Not Know It?|last=Goad|first=Kimberly|website=WebMD|language=en|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref> However, denied pregnancy makes up only a proportion of all unknown pregnancies. |
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== Epidemiology == |
== Epidemiology == |
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1 in |
According to a 2023 study, 1 in 475 pregnancies can classify as a cryptic pregnancy where pregnancy is not discovered until at least 20 weeks.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Duckitt |first1=Kirsten |title=Cryptic pregnancy |journal=Case Reports in Women's Health |date=June 2023 |volume=38 |pages=e00503 |doi=10.1016/j.crwh.2023.e00503 |pmid=37440764 |issn=2214-9112|pmc=10334309 }}</ref> |
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One in 7,225 pregnancies are unknown at the time the mother gives birth.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dordević|first1=Momcilo|last2=Jovanović|first2=Bozidar|last3=Dordević|first3=Gordana|date=2010|title=Unknown pregnancy--presentation of the case|journal=Medicinski Pregled|volume=63|issue=9–10|pages=728–730|doi=10.2298/mpns1010728d|pmid=21446106 |url=http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/ft.aspx?id=0025-81051010728D}}</ref> |
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== In history == |
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[[Pope Joan]], a character from 14th century European literature is said to have been a [[pope]] during the 9th century in the guise of a man until she went into labor while on procession. Though modern scholars consider her to be a fictional character, it shows a recognition of medically cryptic pregnancies in the European [[Middle Ages]].{{citation needed|date=January 2021}} |
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== Cryptic pregnancy as a delusion of pregnancy == |
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The Gilmour Foundation, an Internet-based foundation which styles itself as an expert on cryptic pregnancy, claims a cryptic pregnancy is one that is missed by pregnancy tests and ultrasounds. They claim these pregnancies occur because of an abnormally slow-growing fetus, and gestate for years or even decades. The foundation has said that this causes the [[human chorionic gonadotropin]] (hCG) [[hormone]] to be too low to be detected by medical tests and, because the pregnancy is smaller or located outside the uterus, it is missed on [[ultrasound]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crypticpregnancysupportgroup.com/what-is-a-cryptic-pregnancy-and-what-causes-it.html|title=What is a Cryptic Pregnancy and What Causes it?|website=Cryptic Pregnancy Support Group & The Gilmour Foundation|access-date=2017-12-30}}</ref> However, there is no medical literature to support the existence of cryptic pregnancy as described by the Gilmour Foundation. Rather, this type of "cryptic pregnancy" should be understood as a form of delusion.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Yadav|first=Tarun|last2=Balhara|first2=Yatan Pal Singh|last3=Kataria|first3=Dinesh Kumar|date=2012|title=Pseudocyesis Versus Delusion of Pregnancy: Differential Diagnoses to be Kept in Mind|journal=Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine|volume=34|issue=1|pages=82–84|doi=10.4103/0253-7176.96167|issn=0253-7176|pmc=3361851|pmid=22661815}}</ref> |
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=== Causes === |
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For the most part, this form of cryptic pregnancy is a psychological issue. Some people with this mental illness show [[symptoms of pregnancy]], such as [[amenorrhea]], weight gain, nausea, etc., which could be caused by the delusion or by its underlying cause. |
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=== Dr. Phil Show === |
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[[Dr. Phil (talk show)|Dr. Phil]] featured women on his [[talk show]] who believed they had been pregnant for years with a cryptic pregnancy. Despite negative urine and blood tests, and medical imaging of their abdomens showing no pregnancy, the women persisted in their belief they were pregnant, including one who had had a [[tubal ligation]] in her early 20s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.drphil.com/shows/a-woman-claims-to-be-pregnant-for-3-years-7-months/|title=A Woman Claims to Be Pregnant for 3 Years 7 Months|date=2018-10-31|website=Dr. Phil|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref> Dr. Thais Aliabadi was the expert guest on the show and explained that many women claim to have a cryptic pregnancy to explain physical symptoms they associate with pregnancy, such as weight gain in the abdomen, mood swings, sore breasts and food cravings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.draliabadi.com/womens-health-blog/dr-phil-explores-3-year-pregnancy-featuring-dr-aliabadi/|title=Woman to Dr. Phil: "I've Been Pregnant For 3 Years" featuring Dr. Aliabadi|last=Team|first=Her Warm Professional|last2=life|first2=Dr Aliabadi treats women through all phases of|date=2019-09-12|website=Dr. Aliabadi, Los Angeles OBGYN, Surgeon|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-12|last3=Patient|first3=Cherishes the Special One-on-One Relationship Between|last4=doctor.}}</ref> |
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=== In history === |
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[[Mary I of England|Queen Mary I]] of [[England]] is rumored to have experienced false pregnancy, which may be considered cryptic, because she continued to believe she was pregnant past the expected due month. However, because of the limitations of medical technology, and the delicacy of inspecting the body of the queen, doctors would have had great difficulty in verifying a pregnancy, including whether it was a [[neoplasm|tumor]] or a [[molar pregnancy]]. During one of her false pregnancies, Mary believed herself to be pregnant for nearly a year after her period stopped, when suddenly her abdomen flattened without her going into labor.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} |
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== See also == |
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* [[False pregnancy|False Pregnancy]] |
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* ''[[I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant]]'' |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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{{Delusion}} |
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{{Pregnancy}} |
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[[Category:Pathology of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium]] |
[[Category:Pathology of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium]] |
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[[Category:Pregnancy-themed television shows]] |
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[[Category:Delusional disorders]] |
[[Category:Delusional disorders]] |
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[[Category:Pregnancy-themed television episodes]] |
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[[Category:Motherhood]] |
[[Category:Motherhood]] |
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Revision as of 00:01, 2 July 2024
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The term cryptic pregnancy is used by medical professionals to describe a pregnancy that is not recognized by the woman who is pregnant until she is in labor or has given birth.[1] The term is also used online for a special form of false pregnancy (pseudocyesis), or delusion of pregnancy, in which a woman who has no medical verification of pregnancy believes that she is pregnant.
Medically cryptic pregnancies
The television series I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant[2] shared the stories of women who had experienced medically cryptic pregnancies. They did not realize they were pregnant until they were in labor or had given birth. Nearly all the featured stories involved women who had intermittent bleeding throughout pregnancy that they misinterpreted as menstruation, while some cited not having regular periods due to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), or other conditions that are associated with infertility. The women involved often did not gain weight or experience other major symptoms of pregnancy, such as morning sickness or breast sensitivity. Those who did experience some symptoms of pregnancy either claimed to attribute the symptoms to an existing condition, claimed to have taken a home pregnancy test and gotten a negative result, or both.
A few of the stories involved women who had known they were pregnant and experienced an early miscarriage, only to realize they were still pregnant when the baby was being born. It is common that after the birth the new mother looks back and realizes that there were some signs of pregnancy she had ignored. For women who have had a typical pregnancy, the assumption is that there is no way to not "feel" a pregnancy. However, obstetricians on the show explained that, depending on the position of the placenta, the sensations of a baby moving can be minimal. In 2015, the show's spin off, I Still Didn't Know I Was Pregnant, featured women who had experienced multiple medically cryptic pregnancies.[3]
Causes
The causes of medically cryptic pregnancies are either physiological, that is, there were no recognizable symptoms of pregnancy, or can be due to psychological problems. For example, denied pregnancy is a condition in which a woman is mentally unable to accept that she is pregnant and so may go part way or all the way through a pregnancy unconscious of her pregnancy. This phenomenon is sometimes linked to other mental health diagnostic labels.[4] However, denied pregnancy makes up only a proportion of all unknown pregnancies.
Epidemiology
According to a 2023 study, 1 in 475 pregnancies can classify as a cryptic pregnancy where pregnancy is not discovered until at least 20 weeks.[5]
One in 7,225 pregnancies are unknown at the time the mother gives birth.[6]
References
- ^ "What is a Cryptic Pregnancy?". News-Medical.net. 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
- ^ Unknowingly Pregnant Woman Attends Military Training | I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant, retrieved 2019-11-12
- ^ "Meet the Woman Who Didn't Know She Was Pregnant – Twice!". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
- ^ Goad, Kimberly. "Can You Be Pregnant and Not Know It?". WebMD. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
- ^ Duckitt, Kirsten (June 2023). "Cryptic pregnancy". Case Reports in Women's Health. 38: e00503. doi:10.1016/j.crwh.2023.e00503. ISSN 2214-9112. PMC 10334309. PMID 37440764.
- ^ Dordević, Momcilo; Jovanović, Bozidar; Dordević, Gordana (2010). "Unknown pregnancy--presentation of the case". Medicinski Pregled. 63 (9–10): 728–730. doi:10.2298/mpns1010728d. PMID 21446106.