Cryptic Pregnancy
The term cryptic pregnancy is used by medical professionals to describe a pregnancy that is not recognized by the woman who is pregnant until she is in labor or has given birth. The term is also used online for a special form of false pregnancy (pseudocyesis), or delusion of pregnancy, in which a woman who has no medical verification of pregnancy believes that she is pregnant. Medically cryptic pregnancies The television series ''I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant'' shared the stories of women who had experienced medically cryptic pregnancies. They did not realize they were pregnant until they were in labor or had given birth. Nearly all the featured stories involved women who had intermittent bleeding throughout pregnancy that they misinterpreted as their period, while some cited not having regular periods due to polycystic ovary syndrome, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), or other conditions that are associated with infertility. The women involved often did not gain weight or experi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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False Pregnancy
False pregnancy (or pseudocyesis, from the Greek "false" and "pregnancy") is the appearance of clinical or subclinical signs and symptoms associated with pregnancy although the individual is not physically carrying a baby. The mistaken impression that one is pregnant includes signs and symptoms such as tender breasts with secretions, abdominal growth, delayed menstrual periods, and subjective feelings of a moving fetus. Examination, ultrasound, and pregnancy tests can be used to rule out false pregnancy. False pregnancy has a prominent psychiatric component as well as physical manifestations of pregnancy. It can be caused by trauma (either physical or mental), a chemical imbalance of hormones, and some medical conditions. Contributing psychological factors include a strong desire for pregnancy or misinterpretation of objective bodily sensations. Although rare, men can experience false pregnancy symptoms, called Couvade syndrome or "sympathetic pregnancy", which can occur when ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant
''I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant'' is an American documentary television series that aired on Discovery Fit & Health and TLC. The series debuted on May 26, 2009 on Discovery Fit & Health. Each episode features two or more women who were unaware that they were pregnant until they went into labor. Frequent reasons for the subjects not recognizing pregnancy include: *Mistaking the symptoms for another condition or illness. *Believing they were infertile, and thus not considering pregnancy a possible cause of symptoms. *Not having any of the "traditional" symptoms (weight gain, extended abdomen, feeling of movement in stomach, morning sickness, unusual food cravings). *Assuming their birth control methods were 100% effective. *Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy being misinterpreted as a period. *False negative pregnancy tests. Production history and cancellation The series is shown on Discovery en EspaƱol Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and o ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. The syndrome is named after the characteristic cysts which may form on the ovaries, though it is important to note that this is a sign and not the underlying cause of the disorder. Women with PCOS may experience irregular menstrual periods, heavy periods, excess hair, acne, pelvic pain, difficulty getting pregnant, and patches of thick, darker, velvety skin. The primary characteristics of this syndrome include: hyperandrogenism, anovulation, insulin resistance, and neuroendocrine disruption. A review of the international evidence found that the prevalence of PCOS could be as high as 26% among some populations, though ranges between 4% and 18% are reported for general populations. Despite its high prevalence, the exact cause of PCOS remains uncertain and there is no known cure. Definition Two definitions are commonly used: * NIH : In 1990 a consensus workshop sponsore ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Denial Of Pregnancy
Denial of pregnancy (also called pregnancy denial) is a form of denial exhibited by women to either the fact or the implications of their own pregnancy. One study found that women who denied their pregnancy represented 0.26% of all deliveries. A later study cited an incidence at 20 weeks gestation of approximately 1 in 475, and said that the proportion of cases persisting until delivery is about 1 in 2500 pregnancies. Psychotic denial This is a form of denial that is so extreme as to fall under the category of delusion. Physical symptoms of pregnancy can be absent or not perceived by the woman. When they occur, they are misinterpreted. Some women interpret the sensation of something growing inside them as cancer, or a blood clot. Some women might believe fetal movements are their organs coming loose inside their body. See also *Cryptic pregnancy *False pregnancy False pregnancy (or pseudocyesis, from the Greek "false" and "pregnancy") is the appearance of clinical or subcl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pathology Of Pregnancy, Childbirth And The Puerperium
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatment, the term is often used in a narrower fashion to refer to processes and tests that fall within the contemporary medical field of "general pathology", an area which includes a number of distinct but inter-related medical specialties that diagnose disease, mostly through analysis of tissue, cell, and body fluid samples. Idiomatically, "a pathology" may also refer to the predicted or actual progression of particular diseases (as in the statement "the many different forms of cancer have diverse pathologies", in which case a more proper choice of word would be " pathophysiologies"), and the affix ''pathy'' is sometimes used to indicate a state of disease in cases of both physical ailment (as in cardiomyopa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Delusional Disorders
A delusion is a false fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, hallucination, or some other misleading effects of perception, as individuals with those beliefs ''are'' able to change or readjust their beliefs upon reviewing the evidence. However: "The distinction between a delusion and a strongly held idea is sometimes difficult to make and depends in part on the degree of conviction with which the belief is held despite clear or reasonable contradictory evidence regarding its veracity." Delusions have been found to occur in the context of many pathological states (both general physical and mental) and are of particular diagnostic importance in psychotic disorders including schizophrenia, paraphrenia, manic episodes of bipolar disorder, and psychotic depression. Types Delusions are categorized into four different groups: ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |