Understanding Cryptic Pregnancy: Causes, Risks, and Detection

2023-08-07 15:26:21

Although it may seem unusual, there are cases in which women are unaware that they are pregnant, being in an advanced state of pregnancy or even until the moment of giving birth, this situation is known as cryptic pregnancy, among its causes it may be due to psychological factors or health disorders physical.

In general, cryptic pregnancy occurs in women with different problems, irregular menstruation, overweight, obesity, among other health problems. Explained Dr. Amalia Cañada, specialist in gynecology from the College of Health Physicians in Madrid, Spain, on the web portal health sap.

According to the specialist, when a cryptic pregnancy occurs, the woman does not experience or does not recognize the typical symptoms and signs common during pregnancy, including amenorrhea, nausea and vomiting, or increased abdominal volume. In many cases neither the doctor nor the relatives are capable of detecting them.

Risks for the baby and the mother

A cryptic or silent pregnancy, as it is also called, can even happen in women who are not new. The risk, explained Dr. Cañada, is for both the mother and the baby. When the woman is not aware that she is pregnant, there is no precaution or control over the evolution of the pregnancy, nor does she receive the necessary prenatal medical care.

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“In this way, the situation of the mother at the time of pregnancy, as well as the evolution of the fetus cannot be evaluated and there is no information available from doctors regarding possible deficiency states, complications or anomalies”.

It means that babies born from a cryptic pregnancy are at risk of health problems, being born prematurely, and being underweight. On the other hand, the mother can suffer prenatal complications: such as gestational diabetes, hypertension or preeclampsia, which put the mother’s health at risk, said the Spanish gynecologist.

In addition, generally women who do not know they are pregnant continue with their habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol and other toxins that affect the health and development of the baby.

To detect a cryptic pregnancy, women have to be aware of any symptom, however small, changes in menstruation, or some unusual symptom, it is important that the woman go for a gynecological medical check-up.

Dr. Cañada, stressed that the pregnancy tests, in case of being cryptic, these tests are generally negative if the pregnancy is advanced, because the levels of chorionic gonadotropin have decreased. “This hormone increases its concentration at the moment of conception. From 12 weeks of pregnancy, its levels decrease, even becoming negative.

Causes that can cause a cryptic pregnancy

Gynecologists agree that the causes of cryptic pregnancies are not very clear, but there is a combination of physical and psychological factors that can lead to this type of pregnancy.

People with very irregular menstrual cycles, caused by Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, the practice of high-impact sports or early menopause, for example, have a greater risk of not noticing that a pregnancy has occurred for a longer time, since they are used to to miss menstruation for months.

People who are highly overweight or obese who also suffer from irregular periods may have more complications when it comes to identifying weight gain with a pregnancy and sometimes they even do not even perceive the baby’s movements.

Likewise, the bleeding that takes place during the first trimester of pregnancy can sometimes be confused by these irregular rules.

For specialist gynecologists, a cryptic pregnancy is a very rare case. The psychological factor has an undeniable role in many of the cryptic pregnancies. When pregnancy is not wanted or believed to be possible, the pregnant person may convince herself that she is not pregnant and that the symptoms she is experiencing have another cause.

In these cases, self-convincing can even produce physical reactions different from those of a common pregnancy. Many women who experience pregnancy denial do not experience nausea in pregnancy, they dismiss it as indigestion or for another reason. The fetuses are located lengthwise, so that the belly does not protrude in the same way and they move very little

FUENTE: SaludSavia.com

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