They Didn’t Know They Were Pregnant

All pregnancies are different, but some of them leave us fascinated by their mystery. For example, thousands of women say they did not know they were pregnant, which leaves us all wondering if this is possible. What we do know is that these cases abound. These mothers did not suspect that a child was growing in their womb, many of them did not know it until the moment of delivery.

Some people claim that it is not possible to be pregnant and not suspect it. In this regard, it is believed that there are many irregularities. It is not that they have lied, but that some details are exaggerated or confused. However, those who have lived it have a clear and conscious explanation about this.

The main reasons why a pregnancy is not suspected is maintaining a “regular” menstrual cycle. What do the experts say about this? How regular could a woman be who is pregnant and does not know it ? Here’s how it happens.

Why didn’t they know they were pregnant?

Multiple real life stories challenge our knowledge on this topic. The news is flooded with surprise deliveries around the world. Anecdotes so close come into our lives that they make us fear for a similar outcome.

It is a rather strange phenomenon and difficult to decipher by the scientific community. In fact, some obstetricians of diverse backgrounds have never encountered cases like this. According to one study, only one in seven pregnancies is unknown to the mother as a whole. That is, those who have surprise deliveries are less common.

In this sense, it is believed that not knowing about pregnancy is something that is experienced more often in some way. However, the symptoms themselves allow us to discover it in a relative time. For their part, those mothers who do not find out until the end are quite rare.

Some features that allow confusion or ignorance are the following.

• Being overweight. According to obstetrician Patricia Devine, head of the department at Columbia University in the United States; a woman who is normally fat does not observe the growth of the belly. Similarly, being overweight sometimes generates irregularities in the menstrual cycle, therefore, it would not seem like a sign.
• Being denied pregnancy. It is more common in adolescents, who, in addition to not knowing many things about their own body, deny that this can happen to them.

• General ignorance. Sometimes not knowing the symptoms of pregnancy makes it possible for a woman to not know that she is pregnant.
• Location of the placenta. Dr. Kathleen Brennan says that a placenta located in the front part of the uterus could prevent the movement of the fetus from being felt. That is, fetal activity could be mistaken for simple gases.

Denial of pregnancy as the main cause

Specialists believe that although these women have clear features for confusion to occur, it is not enough. There are many symptoms that occur before a pregnancy. Although some women do not experience these symptoms strongly, there are several details to identify.

In this sense, if we are not suspicious of weight gain or breast sensitivity, a delay in our period is an inescapable sign. Therefore, they believe that there is some inconsistency in the statements of the pregnant woman. Either they don’t tell the whole truth, or they are denied the fact.

As there is the pseudopregnancy or psychological pregnancy; it can be the other way around. A woman who is denied the possibility of pregnancy may be blinded by the symptoms. Justifying the absence of her period or the weight gain would be easy for her if she is convinced that she is not pregnant.

That said, it is understood that the most likely cause is the unawareness of the symptoms. Therefore, denial could be associated with a mental and emotional state that makes the woman consciously ignore these signs.

The reasons for denying the possibility of pregnancy are diverse, for example, we have.

• Women surgically sterilized or using semi-permanent contraceptive devices.
• A woman over forty, with adult children and grandchildren, could be pregnant without suspecting it
• Girls or teenagers who are totally unaware of their situation. That is, before any possibility, they would flatly deny it.

A perfect storm

Dr. Devine explains that a number of elements must match for this to happen. At least one woman whose menstrual cycle is irregular should be treated. Probably overweight or a tendency to gain weight. Neglect in the main indications and / or lack of precision on their arguments.

For example, during pregnancy there are certain bloody secretions, this can be confused with the period. That is, they claim to have had their menstruation on a regular basis, but it was actually a natural pregnancy fluid. The union of many factors can make this case possible.  Could they be pregnant now and not know it?