How to Diagnose Pseudocyesis

Car seat--check. Baby clothes--check. But where's the baby? This happens more often than you think. Women who think they are pregnant sometimes aren't really pregnant. This condition is called pseudocyesis. This article will help you better understand this condition and offer diagnosis and treatment information.

Instructions

• 1

  There are many ways to explain pseudocyesis. Theories says that false pregnancy may be linked to emotional conflict. It is thought that intense desires to become pregnant or a fear of becoming pregnant can cause internal conflicts and changes in a woman's endocrine system, which may explain many symptoms of pseudocyesis. Another theory concerns wish-fulfillment. Also if a woman wants pregnancy badly enough she may see minor changes in her body as signs of pregnancy. Stress, constipation, weight gain and the movement of gas in the digestive system can lead a woman to believe she is pregnant.

• 2

  Some of the ways to diagnose pseudocyesis are similar to ways to diagnose a real pregnancy such as amenorrhoea, morning sickness, tender breasts and weight gain. Close to 20 percent of all pseudocyesis patients were all diagnosed pregnant by health care professionals. The most common mental sign of pseudocyesis is that the woman is very convinced that she is pregnant and the most common physical symptom is abdominal distention (when a woman's abdomen swells to that of a pregnant woman). The most common causes of distention are a buildup of urine, gas or feces. Menstrual irregularity, quickening (fetal movements, even though no fetus is present), breast changes, uterine enlargement and labor pains have been reported.

• 3

  Pseudocyesis does not have a direct underlying physical cause and because of this there are no real recommendations regarding treatment with medicine. In some cases, however, the patient might be given medications for such symptoms as the cessation of menstruation. Patients should be referred to a psychotherapist for the treatment pseudocyesis because many patients may have other psychological illnesses. It is also important, however, for the psyciatrist not to overlook the depth of the patient's physical symptoms. Informing the patient that she is not pregnant by using ultrasound or other imaging techniques is one of the best ways of treating this illness.