When a woman exhibits pregnancy signs but isn’t pregnant, it is called a false pregnancy. However, the specific etiology of phantom pregnancy is unknown. Doctors believe that getting fake pregnancy tests positive is likely a result of a mix of psychological and biological factors.
An ultrasound reveals no baby when a pregnancy is fictitious, and the pregnancy test is negative—the effects of the phantom pregnancy, any underlying medical problem. The psychological fallout will require a lot of assistance from the woman’s carer.
What Exactly is Fake Pregnancy?
The medical word for a fictitious pregnancy, often known as a phantom pregnancy, is pseudocyesis. The hallmarks of a false pregnancy include weight gain, an expanding abdomen, and morning sickness. Moreover, irritability, and backaches, are all indications of being pregnant without carrying a child.
Contrary to popular belief, males can have fake pregnancies like women do. Couvade is the medical word for this condition in men. It is typically referred to as Sympathetic Pregnancy when a guy has a fake pregnancy. This happens more frequently when his significant other is expecting and experiencing the typical aches and pains of pregnancy.
What Causes Fake Pregnancy?
The exact etiology of phantom pregnancies is unknown. However, specialists speculate that psychological and biological aspects may be involved.
In essence, the body gets deceived into believing it is pregnant. The signs and symptoms of pregnancy are caused by an increase in hormones, including prolactin and estrogen. The following are the primary explanations for fake pregnancy tests:
1. Diseases of severe depression
Hormonal alterations in women who are depressed or under a lot of stress are possible. Antipsychotic drugs can also result in symptoms similar to pregnancy, such as weight increase, a lack of menstruation, and sore breasts.
2. A different illness
Elevated hormone levels or other physiologic processes that result in pregnancy symptoms. It can occasionally cause by a disease unrelated to pregnancy. Ovarian tumors, severe depression, cancer, obesity, and ectopic pregnancy are some of these problems.
Even when combined with psychological concerns, weight gain, constipation, or gas. It may result in abdominal distention, which a woman can mistake for pregnancy.
3. A psychological illness
A woman’s brain initiates hormonal changes that result in pregnancy symptoms when she feels severe pressure or a strong desire to get pregnant. If a woman has had infertility, experienced a miscarriage, or lost a baby.
This has happened through another terrible incident; this may occur. Women who have a severe dread of becoming pregnant might also experience it sometimes.
4. Results of fake pregnancy tests
Tests may provide misleading results. However, sometimes they find an embryo even when the pregnancy is not viable. We’ll address incorrectly findings where the test finds high hCG. We’ll discuss situations in which the test successfully identifies hCG in an unviable pregnancy.
5. Medications can trigger fake pregnancy tests positives
A woman’s doctor could prescribe fertility treatments if she has trouble conceiving. One of those medications is hCG, which encourages follicles in a woman’s ovary to release mature eggs. A false-positive pregnancy test result might happen if performed 7–14 days following reproductive treatments.
Pregnancy testing should be postponed until 1-2 weeks following the final injection or therapy. If you take any medications, let your doctor know because some medications might result in false-positive tests. Your doctor can assist you with the findings of over-the-counter tests if they know your medications.
6. Unclear evaporation lines
Many tests display two lines or a plus or negative sign when hCG is found and one line otherwise. A second line with a faint color may emerge for the line testing.
This can signify an impending pregnancy, or it might just be an evaporation line. An evaporation line can occasionally be misinterpreted for a positive pregnancy test result if the directions for the test are not followed exactly.
Follow the precise guidelines provided by each test brand. The timing instructions for the test should be followed exactly as specified to avoid misunderstanding. The findings can be a false-positive if you read the test after the advised period in the directions because the evaporation line might be more visible.
7. You Recently Had An Abortion or Miscarriage
The pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin, starts to be secret by an embryo after it implants. The cells around a developing embryo create HCG. A test is considered positive when hCG is present.
Within 9 to 35 days following an abortion or miscarriage, hCG levels begin to decline. Because the test can’t identify that the pregnancy hormone levels are dropping, it may provide a false-positive result if you take a pregnancy test during this time.
8. A chemical Pregnancy
An embryo implants in your uterus before week five of your pregnancy, but it never takes root, resulting in a loss known as a chemical pregnancy. You might not even be aware that you are pregnant since the loss occurs so early.
But the embryo secretes hCG, which might result in a false-positive pregnancy test. This circumstance is referred to as a chemical pregnancy.
False-positive findings can put a lot of emotional and mental stress on you and your family. At-home pregnancy tests should not be used until one week following the anticipated beginning of your menstruation. We also advise receiving a verified diagnosis from your doctor or a nearby facility.
Treatment for Fake Pregnancy
Whether or not a woman is pregnant is an exciting moment for her. Those who are truly expecting to take advantage of the nine months.
They have to get to know their unborn child, set up a nursery, and prepare for parenthood. Individuals who believe they are pregnant and feel like they are pregnant share—this enthusiasm for the upcoming nine months and beyond.
They are excited to see their child develop like a regular child, taking their first bath, taking their first steps, and growing up in their own house.
She is about to learn that what she is hoping for and experiencing won’t happen. All of it is in her brain. Imagine trying to treat her after telling her this news, understanding that she had been excited to have it dashed.
Also read: How Early are the Signs of Pregnancy? What Happens First
