Bloating, nausea, vomiting, amenorrhea or loss of menstruation, and increased abdominal size or weight are some of the symptoms that, similar to a “normal” pregnancy, develop in women with the disorder. of a psychological pregnancy or pseudocyesis.
The intense desire to become a mother in the midst of fertility problems or the response to a demanding environment for women may be some of the triggering factors of the disorder, explained psychologist Celeste Cano.
“In addition to personal wishes, the environment also plays a big role. Sometimes, the couple or the family of the affected person are very expectant and the woman is forced, in a certain way, to indulge this desire to fulfill the ‘woman’s role’ of conceiving”, she explained.
In this same line, the Spanish Society of Clinical Psychology detailed that the psychological pregnancy disorder can also appear in women who have suffered spontaneous abortions, the loss of a child, or who are in a menopausal period in which they wish to continue feeling productive.
Other factors that can bring about psychological pregnancy are, according to the union of Spanish psychologists, the intense fear of becoming pregnant in the case of young people who start their sexual life, especially if they come from very conservative environments.
Likewise, the alteration can originate when there are couple problems and having a child is considered as a “magic solution” to avoid a breakup.
HOW TO ADDRESS
THE TREATMENT
In the field of medicine, the treatment of psychological pregnancy is mainly aimed at regulating hormones.
However, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that the alteration is a psychological disorder of anxious origin. Since the woman believes that she is pregnant, the cause of the stress that caused the situation must be found.
The appearance of a case of pseudocyesis or psychological pregnancy, generally, is coupled with a depressive picture or peaks of stress, which must be addressed from “cognitive behavioral” therapy, explained the psychologist.
“In this process we verify the entire environment of the affected woman and her thoughts in relation to the pregnancy. First, we approach this ‘world of ideas’ with the victim. Once we go through this phase, we seek to assist women with regard to depression with certain exercises or pleasant activities, which involve the multiplication of leisure time”, she stated.
During this “rehabilitation” process, the family support that women receive in treatment can make a difference.
“Women generally feel very vulnerable in this process and all the comments affect them,” she said.
Although it depends on the degree of severity of each case, the cognitive behavioral therapy process to overcome a picture of psychological pregnancy lasts between 6 months and 1 year, explained the professional.
RECOMMENDATION
To prevent, in a certain way, the appearance of the disorder in women who want to become mothers, but are experiencing fertility problems, the psychologist recalled that it is essential that a psychology professional also accompany the fertilization process or treatment.
