Some of the iconic pregnancy symptoms are breast tenderness, food cravings, heartburn, and morning sickness. They vary in severity and duration from person to person and in some won’t exist at all. The first 13 weeks of early pregnancy (the first trimester) is when most pregnant women experience symptoms of expecting like breast soreness, sensitivity to smells, fatigue, and more. Remember that there is no “normal” when it comes to discussing the severity, type, and presence of pregnancy symptoms.
Wondering can you be pregnant with no symptoms? Here’s what you need to know if you have none of the typical symptoms of pregnancy. Learn more about cryptic pregnancy (the no symptoms pregnancy), and what causes them.
Am I Pregnant? It’s Different for Everyone
Studies have shown that 1 in 475 women won’t realize their pregnancy until they reach their 5th month or 20th week of pregnancy. “Denied” or “cryptic” pregnancies can occur for several reasons like PCOS. More about cryptic pregnancies coming up but before that let’s take a look at the possible reason for no pregnancy symptoms
1. Stress or Fear
The journey of motherhood is normalized as being exciting and happy. The other side of the coin is that it could instill stress and fear in women (especially women with mental health issues like schizophrenia or BPD). Deep denial is one emotion that women deal with when it comes to pregnancy: a deep-rooted powerful defense mechanism that makes it possible to talk themselves out of every pregnancy symptom they experience. The denial of pregnancy can be termed psychotic or non-psychotic.
2. Weight Changes
If a woman is overweight or their weight keeps changing, they may fail to recognize the extra baby weight. They may not even feel the physical feelings of being pregnant.
3. Period Issues
When you miss a period, you will probably misunderstand it as your regularly irregular periods instead of pregnancy. Issues with the menstrual cycle can be caused by
- Stress
- Medications like epilepsy drugs or birth control pills
- Eating disorders
- Uncontrolled diabetes
- PCOS
- Obesity
4. Changes in Fetal Movement
Usually, the symptoms of pregnancy decrease as the journey progresses but if you feel ever feel the absence of fetal movement after 16 or 20 weeks of being pregnant, you must seek medical attention. The absence of that pregnancy symptoms means something more serious such as
- The placement of the placenta in front of the uterine wall
- The fetus is on a “sleep cycle” which can lower the bouts of daily fetal kicks
- The umbilical cord being compressed (such as the nuchal cord)
Typically, all these will be resolved by a midwife or a doctor with the help of an ultrasound.
5. Disappearing Symptoms
Your pregnancy symptoms might suddenly vanish (especially in the first trimester) which is a call for concern. You may not feel pregnant anymore and if this happens, call your midwife or doctor. It could indicate a miscarriage even with its common signs such as cramping or bleeding.
6. Implantation Bleeding
About 2 weeks after conception, your baby attaches itself to the sides of your uterus and that can make you bleed. You may mistake this as a period especially if you are used to having light periods, intermittent spotting and bleeding are common even in a healthy pregnancy.
The Bottom Line: Can You Be Pregnant With no Symptoms?
A pregnancy with no symptoms is called cryptic pregnancy. She might not be aware until very late into her pregnancy or even at the time of labor. It’s important to watch out for early signs of pregnancy such as
- Smell and/or food aversions
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Frequent urination
- Swollen, tender breasts
If you know you have mental health conditions, also know that you may be in denial of the obvious symptoms. Get in touch with your medical advisor as to how to proceed. Never hesitate to ask what is wrong or why anything suspicious is happening. Cryptic pregnancies may put the baby at risk of
- Insufficient prenatal care (like ultrasound scans, blood tests, and physical exams)
- Complications like birth defects, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and anemia among others
- Insufficient medications (like prenatal vitamins), good nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle
Again, don’t ever hesitate to seek medical help if you are confused or worried about the symptoms that you are or you are not having at any point of your mum-to-be journey. The reassurance they can give will ease your stress and keep your pregnancy healthy and memorable.
FAQs: Can You Be Pregnant With No Symptoms
1. Can there be no pregnancy symptoms in the early weeks?
2. What are the signs of hidden pregnancy?
3. Can you be pregnant with no symptoms by 4 weeks?
4. How long can pregnancy hide?
5. What causes hidden pregnancy?
Sources:
- Denial of pregnancy: A population-based study, Dec 2001
- Development and validation of a pregnancy symptoms inventory, Jan 2013
- Associations between Nausea, Vomiting, Fatigue and Health-Related Quality of Life of Women in Early Pregnancy: The Generation R Study, Nov 2016
- Not your average birth: considering the possibility of denied or concealed pregnancy. 2014
- Nuchal cord and its implications, Dec 2017
- Signs and Symptoms of Early Pregnancy Loss: A Systematic Review, Dec 2017
- National Library of Medicine, Pregnancy in polycystic ovary syndrome, Jan-Feb 2013
- National Library of Medicine, Anxiety, depression, and stress in pregnancy: implications for mothers, children, research, and practice, March 2012
- National Library of Medicine, Denial of pregnancy – a literature review and discussion of ethical and legal issues, July 2011
- National Library of Medicine, Schizophrenia around the time of pregnancy: leveraging population-based health data and electronic health record data to fill knowledge gaps, Sept 2020
- National Library of Medicine, To Evaluate the Effect of Perceived Stress on Menstrual Function, March 2015
- National Library of Medicine, Menstrual Cycle Dysfunction Associated with Neurologic and Psychiatric Disorders, Sept 2013
- National Library of Medicine, Menstrual impact of contraception, May 1994
- National Library of Medicine, Assessment of the menstrual cycle, eating disorders and self-esteem of Polish adolescents, March 2017
