Imaginary pregnancy symptoms are not at all uncommon.
Many women who have been trying in vain to conceive will sometimes experience symptoms of early pregnancy, only to discover that they are not pregnant.
This type of imaginary pregnancy is not to be confused with a more serious psychological condition know as pseudocyesis, in which a woman really believes that she is pregnant despite all evidence to the contrary.
Imaginary Pregnancy Symptoms, or IPS as it is commonly referred to on many fertility forums and message boards, is something far different than the more serious pseudocyesis, and basically harmless.
You are most likely to have imaginary pregnancy symptoms between the time you ovulate and when you actually start your menstrual period.
This is the time when most women who are trying to get pregnant are most anxiously waiting to find out if this will be the month it will happen for them.
Imaginary pregnancy symptoms may include such things as swollen and/or tender breasts, food cravings, light cramping, bloating and mood swings.
Some women experience these symptoms and think that they are a harbinger of pregnancy. Perhaps wishing it were so tends to bring about an exaggeration of those symptoms.
But, if this has happened to you, or if and when you do have imaginary pregnancy symptoms; don’t think that you’ve gone round the bend and should seek psychiatric care post haste!
The fact is that these imaginary pregnancy symptoms are not all between your ears.
All of those symptoms can be your body’s reaction to hormones that are released as your body prepares for a possible pregnancy.
As soon as ovulation takes place, a woman’s body starts to get ready for the pregnancy that might occur. Progesterone is one of the hormones that changes right after ovulation.
As soon as you ovulate, progesterone levels go up and will stay elevated until your menstrual cycle begins, and your body knows that there is no pregnancy.
These fluctuations in hormones can actually cause any or all of the imaginary pregnancy symptoms.
So, don’t be alarmed if you are one of the many women who experience imaginary pregnancy symptoms!
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