Not every negative result of the pregnancy test is, in fact, negative. Apart from conventional pregnancy, a not-so-famous term cryptic pregnancy. Also known as stealth pregnancy, has been circulating in the news for a long. It is a condition where the woman is not aware of her pregnancy. Until the last days of the gestation period or, at times, not before birth. The mother does not display the typical symptoms of pregnancy. For instance, nausea, and vomiting, and increment in womb size.
Risk factors for cryptic pregnancy
Surveys have revealed that the chances of cryptic pregnancy are 1 in 475 women. Although the fraction of occurrence is not very high it is not completely unheard of, either. Cases of such pregnancies have been reported where young women have stealth pregnancy. According to one such study, reported in 2009. A woman was taken to the nearest care center as she had severe pain misleadingly thought to be ‘appendicitis.’ It was only revealed later that she was in the midst of labor. Due to the emergence of the baby head. The baby, however, survived with health. This and many other cases have been reported on famous news channels.
A multitude of studies conducted has shown that cryptic pregnancy is somehow related to psychiatric disorders, including depression, schizophrenia, or some personality disorders in some cases. Reports have revealed that only 26% of the women suffer from amenorrhea. whereas others exhibit pseudo bleeding. Together with these symptoms, including the absence of nausea, contribute to the reduced abdominal swelling and considerably reduced birth weight.
Symptoms
Normal pregnancy constitutes a variety of symptoms, including swollen and soft breasts, sudden mood swings, missing periods, nausea and vomiting, and fatigue during the first trimester. However, in cryptic pregnancy symptoms differ from normal pregnancy, or precisely there are detectable symptoms at all. Specifically, to mention, women in their first pregnancies can typically miss the symptoms like fetal movement, weight gain, fatigue, nausea due to the aggressively low levels of pregnancy hormones.
Reasons for cryptic pregnancy
Women who experience the fluctuations in the levels of their hormones, due to multiple reasons, are prone to such a condition. One such condition is due to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) can cause an imbalance in the levels of hormones leading to skipped periods. Women close to their menopause also experience missing periods and weight gain; therefore, cryptic pregnancy symptoms can go unnoticed under such conditions as well. Next, it could also be if a woman is pregnant again right after the end of the previous pregnancy and before the return of the period.
A woman might assume the changes in her body is due to the postpartum state. Other factors include the use of birth control pills and intrauterine devices, which might fail to control birth at times. Strenuous physical activities can lead to low body weight and a decrease in the levels of certain hormones making the detection process almost impossible. Surprisingly, the fetal movements also go unnoticed as taken general stomach upset issues or gas.
Cryptic Pregnancy Test
Pregnancy tests and ultrasounds are inappropriate tests for cryptic pregnancy symptoms due to case-specific. In the case of PCOS, the levels of pregnancy-related hormones are already fluctuating; therefore, tests are of no use. The ultrasound might also miss out on the exact position of the implanted embryo due to the irregular positioning of an embryo or an error on the part of the technician.
Cryptic pregnancy delivery
The procedure of labor and delivery, however, is similar to normal pregnancy, where a woman experiences normal contractions leading to severe cramps while the cervix is dilating itself to prepare the body for the delivery. Since the woman is totally unaware of her stealth pregnancy, it might lead to certain psychological issues for her, including the complete absence of prenatal care, doctor, and mid-wife.
The outlook of cryptic pregnancy
Of course, there are times when a mother might not be living in the best health scenarios, cryptic pregnancy in such conditions can be life-threatening. Socially, the condition can lead to severe consequences if the woman has an abusive partner. An unsupportive family, and chronic mental illness.
Conclusion
Conditions of this sort have been reported uncommonly around the globe and are not clearly comprehended. However, one must report nearby care centers if such conditions are experienced. Indeed not every cryptic pregnancy has a good ending.
Read About: What is Trending on Fashion News Website after COVID-19?
