Pregnancy is sheer happiness with its own share of challenges. Yes! You feel nauseous, have heartburn, bloating, aches cramps, and different types of irritation. Well! Did you know that male can also get similar pregnancy symptoms?
Well, yes! Your partner can also experience pregnancy symptoms. Pregnancy symptoms in men are also known as Couvade syndromes or sympathetic pregnancy. This will be an uncanny mimicry of your pregnancy symptoms.
What is Couvade Syndrome or Sympathetic Pregnancy?
The term couvade comes from the French verb couver. This word means to “brood”, in the sense of a bird protecting its eggs before they hatch. In this condition, your healthy partner would experience pregnancy symptoms just like you. Research claims that, male pregnancy symptoms may be common in 25 to 52% of men. Evidence does not recognise this to be a mental illness or disease. This is considered as a man’s envy of a pregnant woman’s ability to reproduce 2.
What Are the Causes of Couvade Syndrome or Sympathetic Pregnancy?
Experts have different explanations for couvade syndrome or sympathetic pregnancy.
Real Pregnancy Changes
Your partner may experience hormonal fluctuations. For example, higher levels of oestradiol (a female hormone) and decreased levels of testosterone (a male sex hormone). It is these hormonal changes that give rise to the signs of pregnancy in men.
Feeling of Attachment
During your pregnancy, it is natural that your partner will feel closer and more attached to you. He puts his ears and hand on your baby bump to listen to the foetal heartbeat, foetal movement, and so on. Not just that! He participates in pregnancy-related events and attends antenatal classes. In this way, your partner feels closer to you and your unborn baby.
Psychosomatic Symptoms
This is an outcome of emotional stress in your male partner. There are chances, you might undergo feelings of stress and anxiety for your child on the way.
What Are the Symptoms of Pregnancy in a Man?
Signs of pregnancy in your man may vary. But, common male pregnancy symptoms include:
Physical Changes
- nausea
- heartburn
- abdominal pain
- constipation
- changes in appetite
- respiratory problems
- toothaches and
- frequent urination
Psychological Changes
- anxiety
- restlessness and
- changes in sleeping patterns
How Long Does the Couvade Syndrome Last?
Couvade syndrome has a pattern. It may start in the first trimester, go away in the second and make a comeback in the final trimester. Sometimes, some men can feel this symptom even after your baby’s born.
How is This Syndrome Treated?
Well! Pregnancy signs in a man usually do not pose a threat. But there are no specific treatment methods available for Couvade syndrome. Doing yoga, meditation, and other therapies may not remove pregnancy symptoms in men. But they might help in reducing the problems. Along with this, medication can help in treating the symptoms of nausea or pain.
You, as mommy-to-be are happy to carry your baby in the womb and accept the pregnancy challenges at the same time. Well! Your partner’s feeling the pregnancy symptoms is a unique sort of an experience. These are equally exciting and challenging at the same time. To get some information on pregnancy and cord blood banking, follow our blog page.