False pregnancy, also known as phantom, hysterical pregnancy, pregnancy scares or pseudocyesis, is the appearance of clinical or subclinical signs and symptoms associated with pregnancy when the person is not actually pregnant.
- Type of somatoform disorder (DSM-IV)
Clinical features
Symptoms of pseudocyesis are similar to the symptoms of true pregnancy and are often hard to distinguish from it.
- Amenorrhoea
- Morning sickness & vomiting
- Tender breasts
- Typical lordotic posture on walking
- Inverted umbilicus
- Increased appetite and weight gain
Differential diagnosis
