A cryptic pregnancy (or stealth pregnancy) is when a pregnant person doesn't know they're pregnant. In some cases, a person may only realize they're pregnant because labor begins.
With a cryptic pregnancy, the fetus might also be growing at a slower pace than usual, which can cause them to be underdeveloped in the womb.
Cryptic pregnancy is rare. Studies estimate that 1 in 400 or 500 women are 20 weeks (about 5 months) into pregnancy before realizing it. One in 2,500 women go all the way to delivery before realizing they're having a baby. That's about three times more common than the chance of having triplets.
Women who have cryptic pregnancies frequently don't have or don't notice morning sickness and abdominal swelling. They might not gain weight or only gain a small amount of weight and attribute it to another cause.
How common is cryptic pregnancy? Cryptic pregnancy happens more often than you might think. Kirkham says that a study out of Australia found that one in 475 pregnancies was diagnosed after 20 weeks, and only one in 2,500 pregnancies was discovered during labour.
There have been cases where a person goes to the emergency room with pelvic pain only to discover they're in labor. Some studies suggest cryptic pregnancies are more likely to result in preterm birth due to lack of prenatal care, poor nutrition or lifestyle choices.
Cryptic pregnancy may or may not show up on a test. At-home pregnancy test kits most likely show a false negative, especially if taken early. This is because of low hCG. So, using the quantitative urine pregnancy test may be inefficient.
A hidden pregnancy, also called a cryptic or stealth pregnancy, is when a pregnancy goes undetected until about halfway through (or even up until labor or birth). Hidden pregnancy signs may include typical pregnancy symptoms, such as spotting, nausea, cramping, swollen breasts, and fatigue.
Who is likely to have a cryptic pregnancy? Women who recently gave birth. Even if she just had a baby, it's possible for ovulation to restart sooner than she expected. She's probably not expecting her period yet so she may assume any weight gain or abdominal swelling are from the previous pregnancy.
It's established that although it's very rare, there is a small chance that a baby can hide from your ultrasound. Just as an early scan showing a baby doesn't always mean it's alone in the womb, an ultrasound that doesn't show a baby doesn't always mean the worst has happened.
It is also called an 'anembryonic pregnancy' as there is no embryo (developing baby). In this type of miscarriage, a sac and placenta grow, but there is no baby. Because a blighted ovum still makes pregnancy hormones, it may still show up as a positive pregnancy test.
Research has shown contradictory evidence regarding the association of cryptic pregnancy with psychiatric disorders. Psychiatric symptoms related to schizophrenia, depression or personality disorder are only prominent in a minority of cases, thus are not recognized as an essential feature of cryptic pregnancy.
A pregnancy that doesn't show on an ultrasound scan is called a 'pregnancy of unknown location'. The most common reasons for a pregnancy not appearing on the ultrasound scan are: it is too soon to see the baby on the scan. you have had a miscarriage.
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”.
Early pregnancy (first trimester) abdominal symptoms include nausea/morning sickness, cramping, constipation, heartburn, bloating, and gas.
Some people who are pregnant are relieved to have few or no symptoms, but others worry that a lack of symptoms is a sign that their pregnancy is not healthy or that it could end in miscarriage. If you don't have any pregnancy symptoms at all, rest assured that while it isn't common, it's not impossible.
It sounds unfathomable, but being pregnant with no symptoms except a missed period is possible. In fact, it has a name: "cryptic" or "stealth" pregnancy. A cryptic pregnancy is especially possible for people with irregular menstrual cycles, who may be less likely to notice when they've actually missed a period.
A cryptic pregnancy is any pregnancy not detected until after 20 weeks. Some women aren't aware they're pregnant until they go into labor. In those cases, the cryptic pregnancy could be 40 weeks or longer. That means a cryptic pregnancy can last between 20 and 40 weeks.
Occasionally, a baby can simply be playing hide-and-seek in your ribcage. “If the uterus falls back, babies can sit there and grow to quite a big size before they can be felt in the abdomen.