False pregnancy False pregnancy False pregnancy, also known as phantom, hysterical pregnancy, pregnancy scares or pseudocyesis, is the appearance of clinical or subclinical signs and symptoms associated with pregnancy when the person is not actually pregnant. False pregnancy may sometimes be purely psychological. It is generally believed that false pregnancy is caused by changes in the endocrine system of the body, leading to the secretion of hormones that cause physical changes similar to those during pregnancy. Some men experience the same illnesses as a woman would experience while pregnant when their partner is pregnant (see Couvade syndrome), possibly caused by pheromones that
Male pregnancy anatomy required for gestation; these intersex women have carried fetuses to term and given birth. In the absence of uterus transplantation, cases of viable ectopic pregnancies in females provide a potential model for successful pregnancy in males, but any attempt at such would be extremely dangerous for both the father and the fetus. Trans men may become pregnant after female-to-male hormone therapy, provided they have not had a hysterectomy. The Syngnathidae family of fish has the unique characteristic of a highly derived form of male brood care referred to as "male pregnancy". The family is highly diverse, containing around 300