Sanyukta Baijal
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Written By: Sanyukta Baijal | Updated : March 17, 2020 6:32 PM IST
In a study conducted by Berg, and Wynne-Edwards, hormonal changes in men may play a role in Couvade syndrome. Research has shown that men who experience Couvade syndrome have a drop in cortisol and testosterone levels.
Your wife is expecting. Quite naturally, she is going through all that a pregnant woman goes through: Missing periods, constipation, headache, cramps, flatulence, troubled breathing, anxiety, poor sleep and much more. But, are you also experiencing quite a few of them along with your wife? Well then, you are probably going through what is known as Couvade syndrome in the medical fraternity. Though a large-scale and concrete empirical research is yet to be done, some studies suggest facts and figures about men pregnancy symptoms in different parts of the world. Those numbers are not negligible for sure.
The condition which makes an expecting dads experience pregnancy-like symptoms is known as Couvade Syndrome.
Couvade syndrome has a wide range of symptoms including physical and psychological manifestations. The physical symptoms are nausea, heartburn, abdominal pain or bloating, breathing issues, leg cramps, backaches, genital irritation and oddly, toothaches. The psychological symptoms include reduced libido, restlessness, anxiety and depression.
There are many theories that explain the origin of this syndrome. However, none of it is proved, yet. Actually, there could be multiple factors contributing to the pregnancy-like symptoms experienced by dads-to-be.
When a man is too attached with his partner, his involvement with the process of pregnancy increases. He enjoys listening to the heartbeat of the growing baby inside the mother's womb, he loves to feel the movement of the baby, he participates in the preparations of childbirth, talks to the gynaecologist frequently to check his wife's and baby's condition, so on and so forth. All these strengthen his bonding not only with the would-be-mom, but also with the unborn baby. The influence of his impending role of fatherhood looms large on him. This may contribute to sympathy or empathy pregnancy symptoms.
According to one school of thought, the symptoms could manifest out of a man's jealousy about his inability to conceive.
An expecting father may also feel guilty and responsible for the physical and psychological stress his pregnant partner is going through. This could be one of the reasons behind the manifestations of couvade syndrome.
The syndrome also appears to have some association with hormone fluctuations in men which includes uncertain testosterone levels during their partner's pregnancy period.
According to psychologists, Couvade-related symptoms are mostly similar to postpartum depression, because both the dad-to-be (especially the first-timers) and the mom-to-be are experiencing similar stressors like sleep deprivation. Add to this the fact that both are overwhelmed by an immense, new-found sense of responsibility. So, it is important for them to share their experiences with each other. Opening up to his wife can help a man heal from the manifestation of couvade syndrome. The same applies to women as well. However, talking alone may not help. Consider consulting a psychologist in severe conditions.
