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.
For some, however, these fears reach abnormal levels and interfere in daily life—in these cases, fear and anxiety about pregnancy can be signs of mental health conditions like tokophobia (fear of pregnancy) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Unfortunately, no matter how much we feel that we may know our bodies, pregnancy cannot be self-diagnosed. The only way to know whether or not you're pregnant is through a pregnancy test.
You may get a negative result when testing early if you're not using the first urine of the day, you drank too much liquid, or the test is not sensitive enough for early testing – even if you're pregnant.
A woman experiencing a false pregnancy may have nausea, a growing abdomen, swollen and tender breasts, and weight gain. Half to three-quarters of women with a phantom pregnancy think they feel the baby moving. Some even experience labor pains.
Symptoms of pregnancy and an impending period can be hard to tell apart since they can be very similar: mood swings, abdominal cramping, backaches, breast tenderness, headaches, and food cravings.
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”.
hCG is a hormone produced by your placenta when you are pregnant. It appears shortly after the embryo attaches to the wall of the uterus. If you are pregnant, this hormone increases very rapidly. If you have a 28 day menstrual cycle, you can detect hCG in your urine 12-15 days after ovulation.
However, you don't need to stress too much about taking a pregnancy test at a specific time of day. Using urine later on when it's less concentrated may only “hypothetically delay a positive result by only 12 to 24 hours,” advises Dr. Flanagan.
Only recently have doctors begun to understand the psychological and physical issues that are at the root of pseudocyesis. Although the exact causes still aren't known, doctors suspect that psychological factors may trick the body into "thinking" that it's pregnant.
At-home pregnancy tests
The first (and easiest) way to determine if you're pregnant is to take an at-home pregnancy test. These over-the-counter products are quick, accurate, and readily accessible.
When you can do a pregnancy test. You can carry out most pregnancy tests from the first day of a missed period. If you don't know when your next period is due, do the test at least 21 days after you last had unprotected sex. Some very sensitive pregnancy tests can be used even before you miss a period.
Can Too Much Pee on a Pregnancy Test Make It Negative? Urinating too much on a urine pregnancy test should not cause a false negative result. But diluted urine, or urine with a higher water content, can impact a pregnancy test by skewing results.
About 11-14 days after implantation, a woman's hCG levels are high enough to start causing early pregnancy symptoms. Some of these might include fatigue, food cravings, darkening in the color of the nipples, or gastrointestinal changes. When a woman experiences these symptoms, a pregnancy test may show up positive.
Don't Drink A Lot Of Water Before Taking The Test
Diluted urine tends to also have diluted hCG levels which can skew the test results. Take a test when you naturally need to pee. This way, you'll avoid diluting your hCG level and getting a false 'Not Pregnant' result.
You may experience early signs of pregnancy like tender breasts, nausea, fatigue and sensitivity to smell or bloating about a week-and-a-half before your period is scheduled to arrive due to hormonal variations.
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.
Pseudocyesis (greek pseudçs, false + kyçsis, meaning pregnancy) is a condition in which the patient has all signs and symptoms of pregnancy except for the confirmation of the presence of a fetus.[1]
Some women may notice symptoms as early as 5 DPO, although they won't know for certain that they are pregnant until much later. Early signs and symptoms include implantation bleeding or cramps, which can occur 5–6 days after the sperm fertilizes the egg. Other early symptoms include breast tenderness and mood changes.
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.
During the two-week wait, it's better to err on the side of caution. Avoid having a drink, smoking, or any other activity that could be harmful to a brand new pregnancy. It's fine to continue exercising if you already have a workout routine, but now might not be the time to take up a new, intense form of exercise.
In early pregnancy, a bigger belly or feeling of tightness is probably due to digestive changes. As your uterus takes up more room in your pelvis, it's pushing your intestines upward. In addition, hormonal changes are slowing your digestion, leading to increased gas and constipation.