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A Case of Concomitant Pseudocyesis and Couvade Syndrome Variant

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Per DSM-V, pseudocyesis is included under the category "other specified somatic symptom and related disorder" and is defined as a false belief of being pregnant that is associated with objective signs and reported symptoms of pregnancy. The male counterpart of pseudocyesis is Couvade syndrome, also called "sympathetic pregnancy" where a man experiences symptoms of pregnancy when his female partner is pregnant. There are extensive reports on pseudocyesis and Couvade syndrome in psychiatric literature but none with features of both, in a single case. Here we present a unique case of a fifty-eight-year-old mother who presented with symptoms of concomitant pseudocyesis and Couvade syndrome concurrently when her daughter was pregnant. This case report discusses the epidemiology, course of symptoms and common comorbidities associated with this interesting diagnosis.

Source: Psychopharmacology Bulletin

DOI: 10.64719/pb.4568

Authors: Srinagesh Mannekote Thippaiah, Vinu George, Badari Birur, Ananda Pandurangi

Institutions: Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Zucker Hillside Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W2992544195

FWCI: 1.896

Cites: 9

Cited by: 11

Related to: 10