What is a false pregnancy?

False pregnancy is a psychological condition that occurs when a woman is not pregnant even though she sees signs of pregnancy. It is not known exactly why false pregnancy, also called phantom pregnancy, is caused.

In a false pregnancy, the pregnancy test result is negative and a baby is not seen on ultrasound. A woman experiencing a fictitious pregnancy may feel very bad psychologically. This can be quite devastating, especially in women who have been trying to get pregnant for a long time.

A woman who has experienced a false pregnancy may have nausea, an enlarged abdomen, swollen and tender breasts, and weight gain. Between half and three-quarters of women with imaginary pregnancies think they feel the baby’s movements. Some even experience labor pains.

Statistics of phantom pregnancy

Phantom pregnancy is a very rare occurrence. It is seen in 1 – 6 in 22 thousand. It is known that phantom pregnancy is more common when there is no ultrasound or when it is not yet very developed. It is more common especially in societies with a higher fertility rate. For example, the incidence of fictitious pregnancy in Africa is reflected in statistics as 1 in 160.

Eighty percent of women who experience fictitious pregnancy are married, and most are between the ages of 20 and 44. However, it can occur at any age, including childhood or old age. A woman can have a phantom pregnancy more than once. It can even happen to men (very rarely). This is called Sympathetic Pregnancy or Couvade syndrome .

Risk of phantom pregnancy, with depression, or;

• In women who have had a miscarriage before,
• In women with a history of infertility,
• In women with relationship instability,

It is more likely to be seen.