HIGHLIGHTS: High levels of stress or anxiety can cause irregular menstrual periods, which can sometimes be mistaken as a symptom of pregnancy. Nausea and vomiting, heightened sensitivity to smells, breast soreness, fatigue, frequent urination, constipation—these may be signs that you are “pregnant”.
Experts suspect that most phantom pregnancies happen due to a mind-body feedback loop, in which a strong emotion causes an elevation of hormones, in turn resulting in physical symptoms that mimic those of a true pregnancy.
Mood change
Obviously, a bad mood could be caused by many things, but mood swings are one of the early signs of pregnancy, experienced as early as three weeks after conception. “Some people feel more irritable,” says Dr. Celestine. If you're feeling anxious or depressed, you're not alone.
Pseudocyesis, or false pregnancy, is when a person believes they are pregnant. Physical symptoms like weight gain and morning sickness may trick the body into believing conception occurred. Despite feeling pregnant, there's no fetus. Don't be afraid to ask for help and don't feel ashamed or embarrassed.
The most common early signs and symptoms of pregnancy might include: Missed period. If you're in your childbearing years and a week or more has passed without the start of an expected menstrual cycle, you might be pregnant. However, this symptom can be misleading if you have an irregular menstrual cycle.
Pregnancy symptoms are different for every woman, and can even be different from one pregnancy to the next. Symptoms start at different times, too: Some women immediately feel like they're pregnant, while other women may go months with no pregnancy symptoms.
There's only one way to find out for sure if you're pregnant: take a pregnancy test.
A pregnancy test can tell whether you're pregnant by checking a sample of your urine (pee) or blood for a specific hormone. The hormone is called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). High levels of hCG are a sign of pregnancy.
It's the kind of advice well-meaning friends and family offer if they know you are struggling to conceive: “Just stop worrying about it, and it will happen”. While it's true that stress can reduce fertility, stopping worrying about conceiving unfortunately won't guarantee a positive pregnancy test.
Early pregnancy bloating and normal bloating feel exactly the same. Your pregnancy bloating may feel slightly more uncomfortable due to the additional symptoms and increased amounts of gas which can worsen gas pains.
Some women may begin noticing the first early signs of pregnancy a week or two after conception, while others will start to feel symptoms closer to four or five weeks after conception. Some women may not feel symptoms until their period is noticeably late, or even farther into pregnancy.
You can get a negative result on your pregnancy test for two reasons: You are not pregnant or you are pregnant, but you tested too early for the pregnancy test you used to pick up the hCG 'pregnancy' hormone in your body.
Depending on your stage of pregnancy, your body type, and even the time of day, sometimes your belly will feel soft and other times it will feel tight and hard. The reality is, there's no normal to compare yourself with. Pregnant bellies come in all shapes, sizes, and firmness.
Although it is rare, pseudocyesis (“false pregnancy” or “phantom pregnancy”) is a serious emotional and psychological condition. Psychological factors trick the body into believing that it's pregnant.
Some people become emotionally overwhelmed when they see or hold a small baby. They develop a longing to have a baby, even when they may already have children. In popular culture, this phenomenon is known as “baby fever.” This type of event can happen to virtually anyone.
Some common reasons include stress, not timing baby-making sex with ovulation, residual effects of hormonal birth control, and certain health conditions. As much as we may try, pregnancy really can't really be planned—but you can increase your chances by being aware of common pitfalls.
The 10-day rule was established by the International Commission on Radiological Protection to minimize the potential for performing x-ray exams on pregnant women. The basis of the rule was to do abdominal and pelvic x-ray exams only during the 10 days following the onset of menstruation.
As rewarding as pregnancy can be, it's normal to feel some fear or anxiety about becoming or being pregnant.
If you have ever been sexually active, you might know the terrifying feeling that you could be pregnant when you were not expecting it — a pregnancy scare. Some are quite minor: You might have been having weird stomach aches or think your breasts have changed.