A medical expert has said it is possible for women to carry a false pregnancy without knowing.
This follows an incident where Loureen Awuor, 23, attended antenatal services at Utange Medical Centre in Mombasa for eight good months thinking she was expectant, only for her pregnancy to be declared false after a scan at Coast Provincial General Hospital (CPGH).
According to Gynaecologist Ramadhan Marjan, based at Pandya Memorial Hospital, Mombasa County, a false pregnancy results from mother's baby craving.
Dr Marjan said that women who crave for a baby so much might end up with false pregnancy, which comes with all pregnancy signs women face, including morning sickness, distended belly and everything.
“These are people who are very anxious. They want to get pregnant. In many cases, they see all their age mates with children and their body reacts in such a way that they even miss their periods. They experience everything a pregnant woman experiences, including morning sickness and a distended belly (but it is only gas),” he was quoted by Daily Nation.
The doctor further noted that it is hard for inexperienced medical officers to realize false pregnancy.
He advised couples to go for an ultrasound which will ascertain if the mother is indeed expectant.
"It is in such cases that some women steal newborns. But an ultrasound is the best test to determine the condition.” Dr Marjan noted.