Everything You Need To Know About Phantom Pregnancy
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1. Symptoms of phantom pregnancy: The symptoms of a phantom pregnancy are no different from the symptoms of a normal pregnancy. The patient may have nausea, swollen breasts, weight gain, and missed periods. Only a pregnancy test and an ultrasound can define if the pregnancy is real or fantasised.
2. Causes of phantom pregnancy: When talking about phantom pregnancy, there are two main types of causes to explore. The first cause is physiological. In some cases, you may experience pregnancy symptoms when you have an ovarian tumour.
In this case, the absence of periods is due to hormonal disturbances related to the tumour. The tumour can also cause the patient's abdomen to swell and appear to be pregnant. In this case, it is a medical emergency and the treatment will be decided by a team specialised in oncology.
The other cause of nervous pregnancy is psychological. It can affect all types of women, at any age. The most affected women are those who wish to be pregnant and who convince themselves that they are pregnant. But it can also affect those who are afraid of falling pregnant. It is important to understand where this need to be pregnant or this fear of motherhood comes from.
Sometimes a negative pregnancy test and an ultrasound proving the absence of a fetus is enough to make the symptoms of phantom pregnancy disappear. In other cases, if the woman persists in believing herself pregnant, a long psychological follow-up should be considered. Psychotropic treatment may be prescribed by a psychiatrist. It is important not to stigmatise women who have a phantom pregnancy. It is a sign of psychological malaise and their suffering is to be taken seriously.
3. Positive pregnancy test, what to do: You thought that your pregnancy symptoms were the fruit of your imagination and yet the test is positive? Go see a doctor to start pregnancy monitoring. Whether you want to end your pregnancy or want to continue with the pregnancy, only a doctor will be able to guide you and accompany you.
Do not hesitate to tell them about your feelings - you are not alone and no one will judge you, every woman has had doubts about her desire to be a mother or her ability to be a mother at some point.
