A cryptic pregnancy is when there is total absence of subjective awareness of pregnancy till the end of gestation, and the pregnancy is only noted on delivery of the baby.
Characteristics of a cryptic pregnancy are a negative early urine pregnancy test, continued “odd periods” and milder pregnancy symptoms which come and go, which the woman might mistake for something else.
Whilst there is not much available information regarding cryptic pregnancies, a recent article published by The Guardian sheds a personal light on a woman’s experience of having a cryptic pregnancy. The article mentions a 2002 paper published in the British Medical Journal which estimated that cryptic pregnancies occur in about one in every 2,500 pregnancies. It is estimated that that there are around 320 cases in the UK every year.
Cryptic pregnancies in Malta
The question arises; “How many cases of cryptic pregnancies have happened in Malta?”
According to the Chairman of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Mater Dei Hospital, Professor Yves Muscat Baron, cryptic pregnancies are extremely rare in Malta. He said that there are no statistics on how many cryptic pregnancies have taken place in Malta. “In my 30 years of working in this profession I have only experienced three cases of cryptic pregnancies.”
Professor Muscat Baron explained that in the few cases of such a pregnancy happening, the patients he encountered were obese women who were unaware of the physical changes in their body. When asked regarding the three cases he faced, he explained that what the patient goes through is extremely traumatic for her and her close ones. “Since the pregnancy is not planned it catches the mother completely off guard, and not planning the pregnancy at all is a huge shock to the mother and family.”
Professor Muscat Baron, recalled one particular case where the patient was in extreme pain and surgeons thought she had an intestinal complication. When the surgeons were preparing to operate on her on the theatre table, they realised she was pregnant and going into labour.
Why are cryptic pregnancies so rare in Malta?
Professor Muscat Baron explained that such cases are unlikely to happen in Malta as frequently as it does abroad due to numerous reasons – one being due to closely knit families in Malta.
He explained that whilst the woman might not be fully aware that she is pregnant, a close family member might notice physical differences and might encourage the woman to go for a check-up. “Another reason why there is such a low rate of cryptic pregnancies in Malta is because we have a Health Care System which is highly accessible to the population. Moreover, the Health Care System focuses significantly on the wellbeing of a mother and her pregnancy. Many women seek care and advice the moment they notice they have missed a period and from the beginning of their pregnancy they go straight to an Obstetrician.”