Bogus pregnancy
| Classification according to ICD-10 | |
|---|---|
| F45.8 | Other somatoform disorders |
| ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019) | |
The pseudo-pregnancy - in the medical jargon pseudocyesis , graviditas imaginata and pseudogravidity - is an example of the effect of psychological impairments on the organism. It can be a desire neurosis , an anxiety neurosis or the consequences of a hormonal abnormality . But there is also the possibility of misinterpretation of pathological processes by those affected, such as fat deposits, flatulence , ascites ( ascites ) or fibromas (benign tumors). Also from the animal kingdom , e.g. B. in cattle , horses , rodents and dogs , the phenomenon of false pregnancy is known.
The pregnancy-like symptoms of this disorder can be: lack of menstruation , vomiting , nausea , swelling of the breasts including nipples, and growth of the abdomen . In rare cases, the uterus may actually enlarge and the colostrum may shoot into the chest. In these cases, the navel (disappearance of the navel cavity) does not disappear, in contrast to a real pregnancy. The modern diagnostic options make it easy to distinguish a false pregnancy from a real pregnancy .
A pseudo pregnancy is treated with medication or psychotherapy, depending on the cause. The medical treatment with high-dose pregnancy hormones ( estrogen and gestagen ), which artificially induces pregnancy symptoms, is called a pseudo- pregnancy cure .
literature
- F. Brocktington, Mario Lanczik: Psychiatric Disorders in Women: Sham Pregnancy . In: Hanfried Helmchen (Hrsg.): Psychiatry special life situations (= Psychiatry of the present. Volume 3). Springer-Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg / New York 2000, ISBN 3-540-65800-9 .
