Experiencing a pregnancy without realizing it, learning that you are pregnant a few months before giving birth or when giving birth to your baby… Focus on this phenomenon with Hélène Romano, doctor in psychopathology and Israel Nisand, head of the center Gynecology-Obstetrics at the University Hospital of Strasbourg.
The denial of pregnancy is a phenomenon that is sometimes difficult to understand, but it turns out to be less rare than one might think. Some pregnant women do not seem to be, the belly is not visible, others realize that they are pregnant when giving birth… How does the fetus develop? How to explain a denial of pregnancy on the physical, psychological or physiological level? We take stock with Hélène Romano, doctor in psychopathology and Israel Nisand, head of the Gynecology-Obstetrics department at the Strasbourg University Hospital.
What is pregnancy denial?
When a pregnant woman is unaware that she isWe are talking about denial of pregnancy. The woman is then in an absence of representation of the child. “It is an active mechanism of forgetting in front of a psychic suffering“, explains Israel Nisand. There is a physical pregnancy, but not psychic pregnancy. The woman thus lives as if she were not pregnant. “The mother-to-be is mentally paralyzed thinking she is pregnantadds Hélène Romano, doctor in psychopathology and expert with the courts. It is because of this that she does not perceive her pregnancy. There is in fact a cut between the body and the thought.”
“The mother-to-be is mentally paralyzed thinking of herself as pregnant. It is because of this that she does not perceive her pregnancy. There is in fact a cut between body and thought”.
Who is concerned by a denial of pregnancy?
Women of all ages, all social backgrounds, all marital profiles, etc., may be affected. “It can also affect women who think they are infertile or postmenopausal, who think they are taking care through the use of contraceptives or an IUD, etc., says Hélène Romano. The latter, however, asserts thatall women can deny pregnancy. They are people in intense psychic suffering and psychically isolated at a given moment. The woman is injured in her ability to be a mother“.
Denial of pregnancy: at what month?
“Denial begins from the end of the first trimester of pregnancy, i.e. at fourteen weeks of amenorrhea. Throughout this period, voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG) is legal. However, there were already, at that time, a few signs of possible denial“, assures Israel Nisand. The first clue, understood afterwards, is the future mother’s inability to notice her condition.
What are the symptoms of pregnancy denial
Signs of denial of pregnancy cannot be perceived easily, especially since the usual pregnancy symptoms are not felt. In a denial of pregnancy, there is indeed a physical pregnancy even if the body makes sure to conceal it. Indeed, he himself seems to be hiding the pregnancy from the future mother. “A woman who denies pregnancy perceives changes in her body but not as signs of pregnancy“, however, assures Hélène Romano.
Bleeding can thus pass for menstruation, a stomach ache for a gastro… There is no or few physical signs of possible pregnancy. In fact, the body adapts by positioning the uterus differently. Normally, the uterus tilts forward.
In the case of pregnancy denial, the uterus grows vertically. The fetus is then under the mother’s ribs. The muscles of the abdomen remain tense. The belly is sometimes slightly rounded, but it remains relatively flat, thus deceiving the woman and those around her.
What are the causes of pregnancy denial?
The woman’s story has a lot to do with it. Dr. Nisand believes that “the causes of a denial of pregnancy are multiple: pressure, relational problems…“. It can be due to an unwanted relationship, but not only. Hélène Romano indeed indicates that denial can also be the consequence of a pregnancy that comes at the wrong time : “for example, for professional reasons, these women want to prioritize their careers and ensure that there is no room for a baby“.
What are the consequences of pregnancy denial?
Denial of pregnancy can last for a variable time. It can be discovered by chance before the end of pregnancy or at the time of delivery. It may or may not be accompanied by the death of the child within the first 24 hours of life by infanticide. Israel Nisand says: “if denial is discovered in the first trimester, the majority of women will have abortions. In the second trimester, the woman will very often choose to abandon her child or to make up for the communication deficit.
“In more painful cases, the woman will give birth, but do nothing with her child. She takes no care of it and leaves it to die”.
Moreover, “The later the denial is lifted, the greater the risk for the baby.specifies Dr. Romano, before continuing: “when the lifting of the denial takes place at the time of childbirth, the woman may have different reactions. For example, she can call the Samu, because she thinks she’s hemorrhaging, while she is giving birth. It is then the baby’s cry that will resuscitate her. In more painful cases, the woman will give birth, but do nothing with her child. She takes no care of him and leaves him to die. When the woman is extremely anxious, she may not have the notion of a baby and will then try to get rid of it by all means. These last two cases are, however, quite different froma hidden pregnancy.“
Denial of pregnancy after miscarriage
The denial of pregnancy is a body and mind mechanism that is still poorly understood, but we know that‘it can also occur after a miscarriage or prematurely terminated pregnancy in traumatic circumstances (in the context of a medical termination of pregnancy, for example). The woman may unconsciously refuse to be pregnant for fear of reliving this traumatic ordeal, especially if she has experienced it several times.
Denial of pregnancy: the testimonies
On the forum, many women confide that they are afraid of the denial of pregnancy. Others recount their experience of pregnancy denial. As this 24-year-old mother who found out she was pregnant the day before she gave birth.
“It’s quite surprising and very hard psychologically,” she says. “It was a complete life change that I had to accept overnight. The dad I have been with for over 8 years was delighted. He was ready to be a dad and wanted to. For me, it was complicated: I have a fairly busy career and I preferred to wait a few more years. But as soon as I saw her little face, my face lit up with happiness” confides the young mother. As for Sahar, it was at 6 months of pregnancy that she realized that she was expecting a baby. Today, the difficulty is to announce it to her 8-year-old son .