FIVE YEARS OF PREGNANCY - DEMYSTIFIED

Depression and frustration have become her companions. She is tired of carrying her perceived pregnancy for five years. Her life has been decorated with bitterness and agony of childlessness, worsened by her mother-in-law who made her appreciate hell in her matrimonial home. She thought it was over when she missed her menstrual period for three consecutive months but here visit to the clinic robbed her of her joy although momentarily. The pregnancy test result came out negative and the doctor tried in futility to explain this to her. Angry and disappointed, she tore the result and even accused the doctor of conniving with her mother-in-law to make her life more miserable.
She was convinced that she was pregnant based on the signs and symptoms she noticed ; her abdomen was growing, her breast became engorged, she was nauseating with occasional episodes of vomiting and she could feel the baby moving within her. Encouraged by this, she visited another clinic and as usual left angrily with the words 'The God whom I serve will surprise you all'. She visited the market and bought clothings in preparation for her delivery.
Its now one year and she is still "Pregnant". She visited her prayer team and those who claimed that they could  see beyond accused her mother-in-law of being responsible for her predicament. They further informed her that the child she was bearing is a "Destiny Child" and that God hid him away from the world for a purpose. Adaugo was gingered, she bought every ideology they sold to her including paying a chunk sum of money for special prayers.
Its now five years and Adaugo is still pregnant. She is tired of all forms of Abracadabra and she is back to the clinic.

PSEUDOCYESIS

This is a psychological disorder in which a Non-pregnant woman thinks she is pregnant with signs and symptoms suggestive of pregnancy as seen in the case of Adaugo. It may occur in ages of 7-79 years. Alongside blindness, paralysis, diplopia (double vision), amnesia (loss of memory), psychogenic nonepileptic seizure, dysphagia..... it is a conversion process in which psychic conflict is transformed into physical effect.
The perceived fetal movement is intestinal movement, the loss of menstruation is mostly due to problems of the hypothalamus (could also be ovarian failure) and engorgement of the breast occurs secondary to hyperprolactinemia which may be due to drugs eg Cimetidine, methyldopa, phenothiazine. Other causes may include Pituitary Adenoma( Tumor of the pituitary gland) or prologed nipple stimulation.
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