When a cryptic pregnancy It often appears in the news. "A mother discovered that she was pregnant at the time of giving birth." And that's where the big question appears: how did she not discover it before? It seems impossible for a woman not to realize that she is pregnant. And what about her belly? Did she never date her or maybe it was an overweight person?
There are many questions surrounding a cryptic pregnancy, but the first reactions may be surprise and disbelief. Because the truth is that it is a quite particular phenomenon that happens only on a few occasions. But to learn more about the reasons why a woman does not realize that she is pregnant, she continues reading this post.
What is a cryptic pregnancy
According to the etymology of the word "cryptic", it comes from the Greek, kryptos means "hidden". And this word is not accidental because a cryptic pregnancy It is the one that remains hidden until the moment of giving birth. A pregnancy that occurs in silence even for those who carry the fetus in the womb during those nine months. A cryptic pregnancy happens when the usual diagnostic methods fail. But, how is it possible that a mother does not realize that she is experiencing a gestation process?
Those who have gone through a pregnancy know the organic changes that occur, both physically and metabolically, with a hormonal revolution that affects the entire body. In general, the first thing that attracts attention is the lack of menstruation, which is why the woman performs a pregnancy test. It is usually homemade and a urine sample is enough to get the result. If it is positive, the pregnancy is confirmed with a blood sample. And then the first ultrasound is performed, which confirms that everything is running smoothly, and that the fetus is inside the gestational sac and with a heartbeat.
But something in this chain is altered when a cryptic pregnancy. It may be that the pregnancy test is negative and we confuse the typical symptoms of pregnancy with other conditions such as indigestion, constipation or fatigue. Or it can be women who have irregular periods. It is also the case of women who present early menopause or who have entered pre-menopause, with a period that has not yet completely gone but is absent for a few months. Another case in which cryptic pregnancies can appear is in women who practice high-impact sports. In all these cases, the periods can disappear for months, so there is no clear record of the lack of menstruation.
A cryptic pregnancy can also occur when there is a failure of contraceptive methods or when the pregnancy occurs during lactation.
denial of pregnancy
Even when there is no period, how is it possible that a woman does not detect her own pregnancy>? While it is not common, it is not impossible either. It is estimated that a cryptic pregnancy occurs every 2500 pregnancies. There are specific groups of women more likely to have a cryptic pregnancy:
- A teenager fears her family's reaction and does not follow up on her pregnancy until delivery.
- An overweight person does not notice the movements of the baby.
- Bleeding in the first trimester of pregnancy is confused with menstruation.
- The personal or work situation of an adult woman causes a denial of her own pregnancy.
And, in this sense, we must also take into account the power of the psychic in this reality. The denial of pregnancy is another of the great reasons why a pregnancy occurs. cryptic pregnancy. It is called denial of pregnancy to the situation in which the woman is not aware of being pregnant and remains ignorant of it. This can occur in women of any social class without distinction. It is known that in many cases, the woman's environment has not detected the pregnancy either. Friends, family and colleagues do not notice or notice anything strange. Even the couples they live with don't realize it.
Why does this happen? It is very common that in cases of denial of pregnancy the body does not change as in the rest of the pregnant women. The baby is placed long and the belly barely protrudes and the typical symptoms such as nausea or dizziness are not noticed. The baby does not move much, and if she does, her movements are mistaken for gas.