What Is Couvade Syndrome?

Many pregnant women suffer from heartburn, swelling, nausea, mood swings, and other uncomfortable symptoms. But did you know that a expectant father can also suffer from similar symptoms during his partner’s pregnancy? Such paternal pregnancy symptoms are called couvade syndrome or couvade phenomenon.

Pregnancy is a time of many changes. A woman’s size and weight increase, emotions fluctuate, appetite changes, and even hair and nails experience changes. And all of these changes can also affect a woman’s partner.

What is couvade syndrome?

Couvade syndrome, or so-called sympathetic pregnancy, is a moderately common condition, although little is said about it. The name of the phenomenon has its roots in the French term couvade, which refers to incubation.

A man may be so heavily involved in expecting a child that he experiences a so-called sympathy pregnancy and, through it, symptoms similar to those of his pregnant spouse. Studies show that such symptoms that mimic pregnancy symptoms are most common in first-time mothers, and occur especially in early and late pregnancy. The symptoms disappear after the birth of the child.

Exactly what causes couvade syndrome is not known, but many experts consider it a psychosomatic condition, which means that it is affected by both physical and mental factors. Studies show that becoming a father lowers testosterone levels, which may also contribute to the development of symptoms similar to pregnancy symptoms.

Studies of hormonal changes in expectant mothers have shown that a pregnant woman sends chemical signals that the man inadvertently detects. This raises the need for protection in the man towards his partner and at the same time causes symptoms resembling the symptoms of pregnancy, so that he can in some way support his spouse during pregnancy.

Symptoms of Couvade syndrome

The most common symptoms of couvade syndrome are nausea, vomiting, mood swings, various mood swings, weight gain, fatigue, low blood pressure, lower limb cramps, and even abdominal pain resembling contractions. Below, we take a closer look at three general symptoms associated with the phenomenon.

Anxiety

The expectant mother may become anxious during pregnancy for a variety of reasons, which may include physical changes, concerns about her own abilities as a parent, her own and the child’s health, and prolonged pregnancy.

A expectant father may also experience similar anxiety while waiting for the birth of his or her child. For example, she can take care of responsibilities related to parenting and raising a child, lack of sleep caused by the newborn, or the financial situation of the family – just like her partner.

Both a woman and a man can be scared and nervous during pregnancy. Nervousness can be associated with, for example, childbirth or concerns about fetal development and health.

In order for a father to feel calmer and safer, it is important for him or her to be able to participate in every stage of the pregnancy process. This can mean, for example, participating in ultrasound examinations during pregnancy and childbirth coaching – in addition to, of course, generally supporting her partner and vice versa.

Mood swings

Mood swings are a common and well-known symptom of pregnancy. This is due not only to anxiety and discomfort caused by physical changes, but also to hormonal changes triggered by pregnancy.

The expectant father, of course, does not go through the same hormonal or physical changes as his partner, but he may suffer from unusual mood swings for himself. She may feel completely new emotions, especially during the first and last weeks of pregnancy, that will surprise her herself.

The expectant father, like his partner, may alternately feel anxiety, sadness, peace, happiness, irritability, stress, and gentleness — sometimes even so that he is unable to fully locate the source of the outburst. A man may not share his feelings openly, but they do exist, so they should be processed and managed in a healthy way.

Irritability

Perhaps a man simply cannot tolerate the fact that his pregnant partner is the only one who complains – and may complain – during pregnancy. Therefore, he invents – consciously or subconsciously – some problem to complain about and get attention.

It is common for pregnancy to cause a woman back, neck and headaches as well as various muscle cramps. Whether it’s jealousy, immense empathy, or mere coincidence, some expectant fathers begin to suffer from the same symptoms.

The pain and discomfort experienced by a woman during pregnancy is due to physical and hormonal changes. In contrast, there is no physical cause behind the pain or discomfort associated with couvade syndrome. Rather, it seems to be some kind of subconscious way to connect with a pregnant partner. Even if a man does not carry a child, he is also a future parent.