People with a cryptic pregnancy have the same symptoms as a normal pregnancy. The key difference is that the pregnant person doesn't realize pregnancy is causing their symptoms. For example, they may think they're nauseous from eating a certain food or that they're tired because they need to sleep more.
According to medical research, the state of denied pregnancy is not uncommon. In about 1 in 475 pregnancies, women are unaware of pregnancy until 20 weeks gestation or longer. 2 This means that this occurs more often than Rh disease and some other conditions we think of as fairly rare.
Causes of stealth pregnancy
If someone was recently pregnant or recently gave birth, it may take time before their hormones return to their regular cycles. During this time — or as long as a person is breastfeeding — they may start ovulating without knowing it, which can result in a cryptic pregnancy.
Some women don't know they're pregnant simply because they don't have any symptoms. No low back pain, no pelvic cramping and no nausea – they feel completely fine and like their typical selves. No pronounced “bump.” It's no secret that obesity is an epidemic in the United States.
Occasionally, a prominent rib cage can also hide a growing uterus,” explains Dr Mackay. Your pre-pregnancy bodyweight might also impact the concealing of a baby bump. “Women carrying excess weight, especially around the midriff, may not notice the growing bump as pregnancy progresses,” explains Halliday.
Bloating: While it may take several weeks or months to have a noticeable baby bump, the surge of hormones can cause your stomach to feel bloated and lead to passing gas more than usual. Acne or skin changes: Your increased hormones and blood volume are to blame for any skin changes you experience.
Your growing uterus is pulling and straining the muscles that support it. You may feel sharp pains or just a mild pulling sensation. It often occurs when you cough, sneeze, stand up, sit down, roll over, or during sex.
Is it possible to be pregnant and get a negative pregnancy test result? Yes, it is possible. Getting a negative result doesn't mean you're not pregnant, it may just mean your hCG levels are not high enough for the test to detect the hormone in your urine.
High levels of stress or anxiety can cause irregular menstrual periods, which can sometimes be mistaken as a symptom of pregnancy. Nausea and vomiting, heightened sensitivity to smells, breast soreness, fatigue, frequent urination, constipation—these may be signs that you are “pregnant”.
It appears shortly after the embryo attaches to the wall of the uterus. If you are pregnant, this hormone increases very rapidly. If you have a 28 day menstrual cycle, you can detect hCG in your urine 12-15 days after ovulation.
In many cases, you might get a positive result from an at-home test as early as 10 days after conception. For a more accurate result, wait until after you've missed your period to take a test. Remember, if you take a test too soon, it could be negative even if you're pregnant.
How does a pregnant belly feel in early pregnancy? For most of your first trimester, you may not feel much, if any, difference in your belly. It will probably be soft and look a little bigger – similar to when you get bloated during your period or after you've eaten a large meal.
Early pregnancy bloating and normal bloating feel exactly the same. Your pregnancy bloating may feel slightly more uncomfortable due to the additional symptoms and increased amounts of gas which can worsen gas pains.
In the first trimester (weeks 0 to 12) it is common to feel mild pains in the lower tummy area. These are caused by hormonal changes and by your growing womb.
There's only one way to find out for sure if you're pregnant: take a pregnancy test.
For some women, their belly doesn't change much during the first trimester. Your belly may look a little rounder, but that's most likely due to bloating more than it is a growing baby. However, by the end of the first trimester, you and your significant other may be the first ones to notice a little bump!
It might be as simple as eating too much too fast, or you could have a food intolerance or other condition that causes gas and digestive contents to build up. Your menstrual cycle is another common cause of temporary bloating. Sometimes a bloated stomach can indicate a more serious medical condition.
Following the 12-week mark, the uterus expands to accommodate the growing baby, making the belly feel harder instead of soft [1]. On the other hand, a fat belly is softer and you'll also tend to see fat layers on the stomach rather than a protruding belly with a smooth dome as you would with a pregnant belly [1].
Symptoms of rising hCG levels can include fatigue, nausea/vomiting (aka morning sickness), dizziness or light-headedness, breast tenderness, and feeling emotionally sensitive.
It usually starts at about 6 weeks of pregnancy and is at its worst at about 9 weeks. Most women feel better in their second trimester, but some have morning sickness throughout pregnancy. If you have morning sickness, tell your health care provider. Mild morning sickness doesn't harm you or your baby.
Getting your period a week after a positive pregnancy test can be confusing and frightening, but it's actually much more common than you might realize. You may have experienced what's often referred to as a chemical pregnancy. Many women who have a chemical pregnancy actually don't even realize they've conceived.
An uncertain reply of “probably not pregnant” or “probably pregnant” that was not subsequently confirmed by a pregnancy test (or, eventually, a birth, miscarriage, or abortion) is considered a “pregnancy scare” if the pregnancy was not desired.