It is strange that some women do not get any signs and symptoms of pregnancy till the time they begin to experience labor pain. This can happen because of Cryptic pregnancy. In this condition, a woman experience mild symptoms of pregnancy that includes weight gain, missed periods, and morning sickness. Let us know more about the causes, signs, and duration of this hidden and mysterious form of pregnancy.
What is Cryptic Pregnancy?
Cryptic pregnancy is basically a hidden pregnancy that is hard to detect or notice till you get labor pain. This type of pregnancy is reported to occur due to low levels of human chorionic gonadotropin in the body. There is slow growth in pregnancy belly as the fetus is present at the spine region or back of the womb.
Out of 1 in 475 women experiences this type of pregnancy. It is important to learn about the causes, and signs of pregnancy to find out whether you are going through it. Women who have hormonal imbalances or on birth control methods are likely to experience this expected pregnancy.
Causes of Cryptic Pregnancy
Several types of psychological, and hormonal reasons can be the cause of cryptic pregnancy. These are
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: Small cysts present on the ovaries of the woman can lead to an imbalance in hormones in women. It results in irregular periods.
Low Body Fat: Women who have low body fat, generally observe fluctuations in hormones. This causes missed periods and makes it difficult to detect a pregnancy.
Perimenopause: This is a condition wherein the women body shows signs of menopause. This can include ups and downs in hormone levels, and increase in weight. When women fail to differentiate a pregnancy from perimenopause symptoms, then it results in cryptic pregnancy.
Recent Pregnancy: Cryptic Pregnancy can occur when the woman becomes pregnant right after giving birth to a baby. In this case, missing periods are incorrectly thought for postpartum recovery.
Birth Control Pills: Birth control pills are not 100% assured pregnancy control methods. There is always some chances that you can pregnant while taking these pills.
Stress: Stress can also be the reason for hormone imbalance in women. This is a very common in present hectic lifestyles that can result in cryptic pregnancy.
Signs of Cryptic Pregnancy
Here are a few signs that shows that you have cryptic pregnancy. However, you need to understand that these signs differ from one woman to another.
- Vomiting and nausea
- Your periods may be regular throughout the course of pregnancy due to part shedding of the uterus lining. However, the number of days that you bleed will be less. Bleeding and spotting due to implantation are mistaken for a normal period.
- Abdominal cramps
- Fatigue
- Movement of fetus in the uterus that is misunderstood for indigestion, and gas
- Negative blood, and urine tests due to fluctuation of hormone levels
- Weight gain
- Early contractions of labor that feels like menstruation cramps
- Food aversions
- Pain in back and head
- Undetected pregnancy in early ultrasounds
- Frequent urination
- Heartburn
How long will Cryptic Pregnancy last?
Currently, there is no reliable data to determine the exact gestation period in this case of pregnancy. It can be because the woman does not know the time when her pregnancy begun. According to some anecdotal evidence, it shows that a cryptic pregnancy can easily last for a longer time when compared to a normal pregnancy. The shorter duration of gestation period in cryptic pregnancy can be because of slow growth of fetus due to low production of hormones.
There are several factors on which the duration of cryptic pregnancy depends. These are fetal, and maternal factors that contributes to term, preterm, or post-term birth, that is quite similar to typical pregnancy.
Is it possible to prevent cryptic pregnancy?
A woman who is not mentally, physically and emotionally prepared to nurture a baby, can find it tough to deal with cryptic pregnancy. If you don’t get regular periods, and are sexually active, then taking regular pregnancy tests can be one of the effective ways to prevent cryptic pregnancy.
Despite of experiencing pregnancy symptoms on a continuous basis, you are getting negative results in these tests, then it is best to seek professional assistance from your doctor.
Conclusion
Cryptic pregnancy is uncommon and misunderstood by some people. If you experience mild pregnancy symptoms that are persistent, then it is best to confirm it by getting first trimester testing methods that includes blood tests, ultrasounds, and urine tests. Getting regular check-ups from your gynecologist, and eating healthy will promote in healthy, and normal development of the baby.