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The term couvade is derived from the early French word (Couver "to hatch") and
originally referred to the medieval Basque custom in which the father, during or
immediately after the birth of a child, took to bed, complained of having labour pains,
and was accorded the treatment usually shown women during pregnancy or after
childbirth. The medical term for this rare condition is sympathetic pregnancy.
Couvade "involves a father experiencing some of the behavior of his wife at near
the time of childbirth, including her birth pains, postpartum seclusion, food restrictions,
and sex taboos"
Symptoms
In some extreme cases, fathers can grow a belly similar to a 7 month pregnant
woman and gain approximately 25 to 30 pounds. Other symptoms include and are not
limited to developed cravings, suffered nausea, breast augmentation and insomnia.
Causes
Studies have shown that the male partner cohabitating with a pregnant female will
experience hormonal shifts in his prolactin, cortisol, estradiol and testosterone levels;
typically starting at the end of the first trimester and continuing through several weeks
post-partum. Various explanations of how and why this occurs have been given,
including an interaction of factors (some of which are little-researched) such as
pheromones, circadian rhythms, simple stress, and mitogenetics.
Couvade has been reported by travelers throughout history, including the Greek
geographer Strabo and the Venetian traveler Marco Polo. It has been observed and
studied by anthropologists in modern times and is often seen in tribal societies. In some
indigenous societies, "sympathetic pregnancy" is attributed to demons or spirits inflicting
the symptoms in an attempt to cause problems for the family.
Some studies report that nosebleeds are sometimes a symptom, indicating that it
cannot be totally psychosomatic, as nosebleeds are a symptom caused primarily by
mechanical means (e.g. atmospheric conditions) or by the thinning of the wall of the
nose. Furthermore, the Couvade phenomenon seems to exist everywhere, and the
syndrome does not appear in other, psychologically similar stress situations.
Pseudocyesis
Pseudocyesis also known as false pregnancy, can cause many of the signs and
symptoms associated with pregnancy, and can resemble the condition in every way
except for fetal presence. Other names include - spurious pregnancy, feigned pregnancy,
imaginary pregnancy, hysterical pregnancy, phantom pregnancy and grossesse
nerveuse ("mental pregnancy"). John Mason Good coined the term pseudocyesis from the
Greek words pseudes (false) and kyesis (pregnancy) in 1923. False pregnancy is common
in many mammals and is a method of providing milk for the group's offspring, most often
cats, dogs, and rabbits.
History
The symptoms of pseudocyesis are similar to the symptoms of true pregnancy and
are often hard to distinguish from it. Such natural signs as amenorrhoea, morning
sickness, tender breasts, and weight gain may all be present. Many health care
professionals can be deceived by the symptoms associated with pseudocyesis. Research
shows that 18% of women with pseudocyesis were at one time diagnosed as pregnant by
medical professionals.
The hallmark sign of pseudocyesis that is common to all cases is that the affected
patient is convinced that she is pregnant. Abdominal distension is the most common
physical symptom of pseudocyesis (60– 90%). The abdomen expands in the same manner
as it does during pregnancy, so that the affected woman looks pregnant. This
phenomenon is thought to be caused by buildup of gas, fat, feces, or urine. These
symptoms often resolve under general anesthesia and the woman's abdomen returns to its
normal size.
Causes
Demographics
The rate of pseudocyesis in the United States has declined significantly in the past
century. In the 1940s there was one occurrence for approximately every 250 pregnancies.
This rate has since dropped to between one and six occurrences for every 22,000 births.
The average age of the affected woman is 33, though cases have been reported for
women as young as 6-1/2 and as old as 79. More than two-thirds of women who
experience pseudocyesis are married, and about one-third have been pregnant at least
once. Women who have been victims of incest may be at greater risk for developing
pseudocyesis.
Treatment
The treatment that has had the most success is demonstrating to the patient that
she is not really pregnant by the use of ultrasound or other imaging techniques.
Alternative therapies