We?ve all heard stories about someone who didn?t realize they were pregnant for months. While it might sound hard to believe, Dr. Yolanda Kirkham, an obstetrician and gynecologist at St. Joseph?s Health Centre of Unity Health in Toronto, says she’s seen it in her own practice. ?I have personally had a patient roll into labour and delivery in full labour and not realize they were pregnant,? she says. This person was experiencing what’s called cryptic pregnancy.
What is cryptic pregnancy"
A cryptic pregnancy is a pregnancy that goes undetected for a longer time than usual, for a variety of reasons. Kirkham says a cryptic pregnancy is also commonly referred to as an unknown pregnancy, or a case where the mother is late to prenatal care. How common is cryptic pregnancy"
Cryptic pregnancy happens more often than you might think. Kirkham says that a study out of Australia found that one in 475 pregnancies was diagnosed after 20 weeks, and only one in 2,500 pregnancies was discovered during labour. She adds that rates may vary in different countries, or even in different regions within the same country. ?There?s such variability in where people live,” she says. “If they?re in more rural areas or part of a more siloed cultural group, they may have different experiences.?
While some pregnancies do remain unknown right through until the moments before birth, the vast majority of cryptic pregnancies are simply discovered late.
Symptoms of cryptic preg...