Why can there be a woman who doesn't know that she is pregnant?

You may have read "unique" news several times about a woman who for months never knew that she was pregnant, until it was only discovered after going to the doctor to treat other problems. One example is a 23-year-old woman in the United States who just realized that she was 36 weeks pregnant after seeing a doctor to have her sore back checked for 3 days without stopping.

Even more surprising, doctors said that her vagina was already open 8 centimeters, a sign that she was ready to give birth. Fortunately, this woman eventually gave birth to a healthy and normal baby, even though she had never previously known that she was pregnant.

Why can a woman not know that she is pregnant?

Common pregnancies are characterized by a number of characteristic symptoms that are easily recognized, such as late menstruation and morning sickness and vomiting. However, some women may never know that they are pregnant for months. This phenomenon is known as cryptic pregnancy (cryptic pregnancy).

The main cause is low levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in the blood. The hCG hormone is a hormone produced by the placenta to maintain pregnancy and support fetal development. Women who produce small amounts of the hormone HCG may get negative results when they are checked by test pack.

It is also possible for a woman to find out too late that she is pregnant for other reasons, such as getting an inaccurate pregnancy test result. When one checks and sees the results are negative, this automatically makes the woman think that she is not pregnant. Even though the result may be false negative, because it is not the time for the body to produce hCG.

The hCG hormone usually begins to be present in the blood approximately 6 days after implantation (around the 3rd week of pregnancy), and peaks within 14 weeks after the first day of the last menstrual period (LMP).

In addition, having problems in the body that affect pregnancy, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), ectopic pregnancy, or an empty pregnancy (blighted ovum) can also make a woman never know that she is pregnant.

Uniquely, a 2007 study at the University of Turin, Italy, found that a body that shows absolutely no pregnancy symptoms actually indicates that the body is not strong enough to carry out the process of conceiving.

Mental disorders can also make women unaware that they are pregnant

Women with certain psychiatric problems may not even know that they are pregnant. This mental disorder is called by the term denied pregnancy, which keeps a woman from feeling or accepting that they are going to have a baby. Experts estimate this disorder affects 1 in 200 women in the world.

There are several reasons that may encourage a woman to unwittingly deny herself to be pregnant. The most important factor is severe stress or extreme fear. For some women, the idea of becoming a mother is so terrifying that they reflexively reject the reality. The effects of severe stress can lead them to think that their stomach cramps are just a symptom of bloating or colds, when in fact it is a sign of implantation bleeding.

Plus when stressed, the body will produce less levels of the hormone HCG so it may not be detected accurately by tests. The combination of these two conditions can make some women do not know that they are pregnant and are at risk of miscarriage.

What is the danger if a woman doesn't know that she is pregnant?

According to dr. Christine Greves, obstetrician from Ohio, there are many risks to be had if a woman does not know that she is pregnant.

If a woman is not aware of her pregnancy, she can skip the importance of prenatal care and take pregnant vitamins. Lack of adequate nutritional intake during pregnancy can hinder the process of fetal growth and development in the womb.

In addition, women who do not know that they are pregnant and continue bad habits such as drinking alcohol or smoking can also endanger the safety of the fetus. Likewise, if the woman has a disease such as diabetes or high blood pressure, but does not know she is pregnant. His illness can increase the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth, which can endanger the lives of both the mother and the baby.