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How you can ignore pregnancy until the very birth: 6 reasons
Really, how can you not notice that you are about to become a mom? But such cases are not uncommon.
“The woman did not know that she was pregnant, ran 7 kilometers, worked out in the gym, and an hour later gave birth in the shower”; “Fitonyashka did not notice the pregnancy until the very birth” – such stories are now encountered so often that one can only wonder. How can you miss a pregnancy? And it would be okay to talk about overweight women. But after all, both models and ordinary girls become heroines of such news. Why is this happening, we asked an expert.
doctor gynecologist-reproductologist of the network of centers of reproduction and genetics “Nova Clinic”
Psychological reasons
For some women, motherhood is very stressful: they develop such a strong fear that they fall into deep denial and do not realize that they are pregnant.
For example, when they get morning sickness, they blame it on poor quality food. They do not notice fetal movements or perceive them as an intestinal disorder. Fatigue is attributed to overwork or sleep problems.
Such situations occur in adolescents because of a strong fear of their parents – they may find out that the girl is having sex. A married woman, because of her husband’s infidelity, can experience the same problems.
Other women have mental health problems that prevent them from admitting or accepting that they are having a baby. Most often it is bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. These patients are advised to consult a psychiatrist after childbirth to prevent child abandonment or abuse.
Physiological causes
No signs of pregnancy
The signs of pregnancy can be so subtle that the woman does not notice them. If she is overweight or obese, then the weight gain may not be noticeable. A wide pelvis and abdominal obesity can hide an enlarged uterus and abdominal growth.
A woman may not feel fetal movement, especially if the placenta is located on the front wall of the uterus.
In sports women, on the other hand, trained abdominal muscles can well hide the child and his movements. In addition, due to anatomical features – bending of the uterus – the abdomen can grow very slightly and become noticeable only towards the end of pregnancy.
“In my practice, there was a case when a 47-year-old woman with 4th degree obesity was admitted to the surgical department with acute abdominal pain. During an emergency operation for acute cholecystitis, an enlarged uterus was found in accordance with full-term pregnancy, a cesarean section was performed, ”says Ekaterina Ozhogina.
Amenorrhea and polycystic ovary syndrome
In polycystic ovary syndrome, menstruation is infrequent (less than 8 per year), and some women may be absent for 6 months or even a year. Most often, PCOS is associated with excess weight and an increase in subcutaneous fat on the abdomen. PCOS patients rarely ovulate, and if it does, the woman may not notice the pregnancy until the very birth. Weight gain and abdominal growth are considered normal for such women.
Intrauterine device
The intrauterine device is considered a very reliable method of contraception, but there are surprises here too. For example, the spiral is installed incorrectly or its displacement has occurred, there are even cases that the spiral comes out during menstruation, and the woman did not notice it.
Very often, such a pregnancy in the early stages is accompanied by signs of termination, a woman perceives these symptoms as painful menstruation. And he assures the doctor that she had her periods every month, but they were more profuse and painful.
climacteric
During the transition period, menstruation becomes irregular, and when they disappear altogether, the woman believes that menopause has come. But during this period, one must not lose vigilance. Ovulation can happen at any time. During this period, a woman feels mood swings, dizziness, nausea and a natural weight gain. It is not necessary to write off all the symptoms for menopause, but it is necessary to use contraception. Otherwise, it is possible that you will get an unplanned pregnancy somewhere closer to 50 years – there were such cases too.
Other reasons
Hormonal contraception
When a woman is passionate about work and family, regularly takes contraceptives, she is 100% confident in this method of contraception.
In some cases, while taking COCs, menstruation is absent or manifests itself as a menstrual-like reaction in the form of small smearing discharge. If a woman started taking contraceptive pills not in the first 5 days of the cycle, missed a pill, or had vomiting and diarrhea, then the pill might not be absorbed.
Thus, follicle growth, ovulation are triggered, and pregnancy can occur.
“I have come across cases when a woman came to an appointment with complaints about the growth of a tumor in her abdomen, and when I turned on the sound of the heartbeat on the ultrasound machine, she assured me that she did not miss taking contraceptive pills,” adds our expert.
Teenage pregnancy
Unfortunately, today we are seeing a trend towards early onset of sexual activity.
“When interviewing patients at the reception, I often find out that the onset of sexual activity coincides with the age of the first menstruation. This period is very difficult, because the adolescent’s menstrual cycle has not yet been established, contraceptive methods are still little known to young girls, and they are beginning to have a sexual life, ”explains Ekaterina Ozhogina.
This requires special vigilance on the part of the parents. It is very easy to miss an early (juvenile) pregnancy. A teenager may not understand that a pregnancy has come, and if he does, he tries to hide it from others and parents.
What is the danger for the child or mother?
When a woman does not realize that she is pregnant, she can harm her baby.
During this period, a woman does not undergo antenatal care, does not always lead a healthy lifestyle, can smoke or drink alcohol, take teratogenic drugs, do not maintain proper nutrition and work hard.
The birth process can be unpredictable and can lead to complications for both the mother and the fetus.
Most often, these babies are born with low birth weight or prematurely. If you notice any unusual symptoms, weight gain, or missing or unusual menstrual periods, contact your doctor.