time the hell Are there women who are not aware that they are pregnant? whereas right During pregnancy, menstruation will stop and the stomach will enlarge. Don't get me wrong, even though it sounds impossible, this phenomenon really does exist and is not something that is rare, you know!
Pregnancy that is not known by pregnant women is called cryptic pregnancy. Although not common, this condition is also not a rare thing. It is estimated that 1 in 400 women do not know they are pregnant until the age of 5 months or more. Not only that, 1 in 2500 women do not even know they are pregnant until they are about to give birth.
Cryptic Pregnancy VS Denial Pregnancy
Hearing the story above, you might think that the pregnant woman is not ignorant, but is denying or pretending not to know (denial pregnancy). Because, with all the symptoms of pregnancy, she should have realized that she was pregnant, no?
However, it turns out that only about 10-15% of cases cryptic pregnancy affected by a personality disorder or mental disorder. Some women with cryptic pregnancy even turned out to be quite educated and in stable relationships. That is, they are actually able to recognize the signs of pregnancy. Then, what exactly makes them not aware of her pregnancy?
Reasons Pregnant Women Are Not Aware of Their Pregnancy
Pregnancy can go unnoticed for the following reasons:
1. Faint signs of pregnancy
Some women may have menstrual cycle disorders, so they do not suspect when they are late for their period. Even so, pregnancy is generally also characterized by weight gain and morning sickness. It's just that, in some women, these symptoms can be so subtle that they don't even appear, so that the pregnancy goes unnoticed.
The faintest signs of pregnancy could be due to low levels of the pregnancy hormone or hCG hormone. This may occur due to genetic uniqueness to chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus.
2. Overweight to obesity
Weight gain can be a common sign of pregnancy. However, women who are overweight, obese, or often experience weight gain and loss may not be aware of this pregnancy sign.
In addition, women may also not realize that their stomach is enlarged due to pregnancy. Depending on their body type, some women may not appear pregnant until they are 30 weeks pregnant.
3. Results test pack incorrect
Condition test pack the bad to the wrong usage procedure test pack can make the results less accurate, such as false negatives. When test test pack If not repeated, pregnant women may not know the condition.
In addition, the results test pack False negatives can also occur due to the delay in carrying out the test. Do a pregnancy check with test pack when the gestational age has reached 4 months can give a false negative result, because the level of the hCG hormone in the urine is too high to be detected by the device test pack. This condition is called "hook effect”.
4. The unique location of the placenta
Fetal movement is one of the most common signs of pregnancy. This movement is usually noticed at 18-20 weeks of gestation. However, if the placenta is on the front side of the uterus, pregnant women may not be able to feel the movement of the fetus, so they are not aware of pregnancy.
5. Low levels of body fat and frequent strenuous physical activities
Both conditions are common in athletes and can prevent menstruation from occurring for months. Not only that, these two conditions may also affect certain hormone levels, making pregnancy difficult to detect.
In addition to the five conditions above, lack of knowledge about signs of pregnancy, use of birth control pills, rarely having sex, even being said to be infertile, can also make women not think that they are pregnant.
Phenomenon Cryptic Pregnancy as a Fetal Survival Strategy
There is an interesting theory that says that pregnancy can go undetected as a form of fetal self-protection, so that the production of pregnancy hormones is very low. This generally occurs in pregnant women who are experiencing severe stress.
The fetus seems to feel that it is better not to know its whereabouts, because if the pregnant woman knows there is a fetus in her stomach, the stress level can increase and the risk of miscarriage will increase.
Therefore, in this condition, cryptic pregnancy It is said to be an adaptation of the fetus in an emergency to maintain its life.
Impact of Childbirth Without Prenatal Care
Cryptic pregnancy requires special attention, because generally women who experience this are not currently undergoing a program or preparation for pregnancy, so they most likely have not received prenatal care.
Mother who experienced cryptic pregnancy also may not change their lifestyle to be healthier, so the fetus can experience various disorders, such as lack of nutritional intake.
In addition, various pregnancy complications are also more likely to occur in this kind of pregnancy, especially if the mother has anemia, diabetes, or preeclampsia.
This lack of supervision can make babies born with various health problems, such as premature, underweight, birth defects, and even miscarriage.
Unconscious pregnancy can happen to anyone and can pose a risk to the health of the mother and fetus. Therefore, increase your knowledge about pregnancy and don't hesitate to see a doctor if you feel something is different with your body. yes
