| A false pregnancy refers to a situation when a | | | | so that they actually look pregnant. It is believed that |
| woman has all the signs and symptoms of being | | | | this is due to a build up of gas or fluid. Through surgery |
| pregnant, yet this woman is not pregnant. It is not | | | | or other medical treatments once this situation is |
| common in humans, yet it does happen. However, it is | | | | resolved, the abdomen goes back to its normal size. |
| mainly psychological. False pregnancies have been | | | | Women who are desperately trying to conceive and |
| reported all throughout history. Hippocrates wrote | | | | who have a history of irregular menstrual cycles often |
| about 12 women who he encountered as early as 300 | | | | think that they feel life inside the womb, very similar to |
| B.C. Mary, Queen of Scots, is one of the most famous | | | | that of fetal movements in a normal pregnancy. This |
| examples in history that reported that she was | | | | movement is the normal bowel movements of gas |
| pregnant on several occasions and when the truth | | | | throughout the body and sometimes it can be |
| was discovered, she wasn't pregnant at all. | | | | mistaken for a fluttering if you are not sure if you are |
| It is hard to distinguish the signs of a normal pregnancy | | | | pregnant or not. |
| from the signs of other medical conditions, which is | | | | Psychologists say that women who do have the |
| why some women may actually believe they are | | | | notion they are pregnant are often going through |
| pregnant. It is quite common for women to have | | | | emotional turmoil. It could be the result of a desire to |
| irregular menstrual periods and to have some of the | | | | have a baby or an intense fear of being pregnant. It |
| pregnancy symptoms as part of pre-menstrual | | | | could be wishful thinking when the woman thinks that |
| syndrome. This includes having headaches, tender | | | | having a baby will resolve the conflict she and her |
| breasts and a bloated feeling in the stomach. If this | | | | partner are experiencing in their relationship and will |
| continues on for any length of time, a woman could | | | | help to keep them together as a couple. |
| actually convince herself that she is pregnant, even to | | | | Because there is no underlying physical reason for a |
| the point of having morning sickness. In this case the | | | | person to believe she is pregnant, there is no one |
| pregnancy is psychosomatic and exists only in the | | | | medication to help resolve the condition. In the case of |
| mind. At one time, before the age of ultrasounds and | | | | irregular periods, medication can help regulate the |
| other advanced diagnostic tests, doctors would | | | | menstrual cycles. However, in most other cases the |
| diagnose a woman as being pregnant based on the | | | | only treatment is counselling from a psychotherapist |
| symptoms she reported. When the urine test turned | | | | trained to deal with such a situation. The one treatment |
| out to be negative, the doctor often thought that | | | | that is successful is for the woman to have an |
| perhaps the lady was not far enough along for the | | | | ultrasound where she can see the screen and will see |
| pregnancy to show up. | | | | that there is no baby in the womb. |
| In many women, the abdomen actually grows in size | | | | |