32
Views
4
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
CaseReport Article

Denied pregnancy

&
Pages 861-863 | Published online: 11 May 2010
 

Abstract

Objective: To review the literature on the topic of denied pregnancy and present a case study that illustrates some salient points.

Clinical picture: A 21-year-old woman was unaware of her pregnancy until she went into labour, at which time she went into a state of panic. She delivered a dead baby.

Treatment: She was interviewed over the 5 days following delivery and referred for psychiatric assessment. She was discharged when cleared of serious psychiatric illness.

Outcome: At follow-up she was well but haunted by recollections of the delivery. She was referred for further counselling.

Conclusions: Denial of pregnancy is more common than realised. It is a heterogeneous condition associated with different coping styles and psychiatric diagnoses. Early testing for pregnancy is recommended in young women with nausea, weight gain and menstruation-like bleeding.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.