Being pregnant and birthing a baby can be stressful enough, but getting pregnant and going into labour without even knowing about it? Well, that’s unlocked a new fear.
Some people are taking to TikTok to share their accounts of ‘cryptic’ or ‘invisible’ pregnancies.
Kayla Nicole Simpson (@kaylanicolesimpson) shared how she went to the emergency room with severe abdominal pain, thinking she had appendicitis. But at the hospital, an ultrasound revealed she was pregnant.
Doctors swiftly realised she was crowning and she was rushed to the labour ward where, in 15 minutes, she’d given birth to a baby girl.
“Throughout my so-called pregnancy I had lost 30lbs, was the flattest I had ever been and had my period every month,” Simpson recalled.
What is a cryptic pregnancy?
In short, it’s where you don’t realise you’re pregnant because your body doesn’t really give you any of the tell-tale signs.
While for a very small amount of people they might not realise they’re pregnant until labour, a cryptic pregnancy can also apply to people who don’t realise they’re pregnant until at least 20 weeks.
Some people might not experience any symptoms, or very mild symptoms of pregnancy; others might blame their pregnancy symptoms on issues, like stress; and some might not grow a baby bump at all.
Why do some women not get a baby bump?
TikTok creator Nikki Salazer shared a video of her story. While she knew she was pregnant, it didn’t take away from the fact that not getting a bump felt a bit strange.
“As the months went by, I still had nothing,” she explained. “But I still had all the symptoms and felt kicking regularly. At eight months, I started to feel very heavy – but still, no bump.
“No-one could believe I was pregnant – even at the hospital. Thankfully, I had a healthy birth and delivery.”
Dr Karan Raj stitched Salazer’s video with some commentary of his own to explain just why these hidden bump pregnancies occur. “There are a number of factors that could contribute to this,” he said.
Apparently, it’s all to do with the shape of your uterus – and if you have a retroverted uterus, it’s easier for your baby to hide.
“Most women have an ‘anteverted’ uterus where it’s slightly tilted forwards,” said Dr Raj.
“But one in five have a backwards tilt towards the spine. For some women, it may remain tilted backwards for the duration of the pregnancy. This backwards growth could hide any bump.”
He explained that previous surgery, endometriosis and other gynaecological conditions could scar what’s known as the uterosacral ligaments, which “keep the uterus fixed to the spine and inside the pelvic cavities”.
“If these are stiff because of scarring, these ligaments can literally hold the uterus back and stop it from protruding too far out,” he said, which will result in a tiny little bump, or no bump at all.
And bad news if you’re tall… “If you’re taller, you’ll have a longer torso, so there’ll be more space for the uterus to develop upwards rather than just outwards,” added Dr Raj.
Gym bunnies should be wary, too, as a super strong stomach could have the same effect. “If you have well-developed rectus abdominal muscles, the uterus may develop closer to your core, rather than protruding out,” he said.
Other causes can include:
- Having recently given birth,
- PCOS,
- Peri-menopause.
How common are cryptic pregnancies?
The good news is cryptic pregnancies are relatively rare. Studies suggest that around one in 475 pregnancies aren’t noticed until about 20 weeks gestation, which is halfway into the pregnancy.
And around one in 2,500 pregnancies go completely unnoticed until delivery.
On the upside, not having a huge bump getting in the way of tying your shoes, picking things up and generally moving around can be super beneficial.
But the emotional trauma of suddenly going into labour must be… well, a lot.
Although as Kayla Simpson said: “Within those 15 minutes my life changed forever – and now I can say for the better ... Obviously I was in shock but I do think that things happen for a reason.”