A phantom pregnancy is a phenomenon that occurs when a woman experiences many of the signs and symptoms of pregnancy without actually being pregnant. There are a number of terms that are used to identify the same or nearly identical phenomenon. These terms are "hysterical pregnancy," "false pregnancy," "pseudocyesis," and sometimes "imaginary pregnancy." The symptoms that may be experienced during a phantom pregnancy include morning sickness, fatigue, the production of breast milk, missed periods, and sore or tender breasts. Some women experiencing this phenomenon have even reported the sensation of kicking within their uteri, a sensation that mimics the feeling of a fetus moving within the uterus.
During a phantom pregnancy, a woman may also begin to physically appear as if she is pregnant. A woman who is experiencing a phantom pregnancy may develop a distended abdomen, which causes her to have a silhouette that mimics that of a pregnant woman. It is this feature that often causes women, and those around them, to truly believe that they are pregnant. It is most common for the women experiencing these symptoms to be in later childbearing years, usually their 30s or 40s. The phenomenon can affect women who already have children as well as women who are childless.
It is important to note that there is a serious difference between a phantom pregnancy and a feigned pregnancy. In a false pregnancy, a woman experiences many of the hallmark symptoms of pregnancy and does not become aware of the lack of a fetus until she faces some sort of evidence that proves that she is not pregnant. In a feigned pregnancy, the woman knows that she is not pregnant but goes to certain lengths to pretend she is.
Many professionals in the fields of medicine and mental health agree that a phantom pregnancy is a psychological issue. The treatment for a phantom pregnancy is usually psychological rather than medical. It is certainly true that all cases of psychological issues have unique features. It is quite common, however, for women experiencing phantom pregnancies to also have a very deep desire to have a child. There may be some cases in which a phantom pregnancy occurs without this desire — or without the conscious understanding of this desire — but it is generally considered to be one of the factors that identifies the group of women who experience phantom pregnancies.