A rare case report of pseudopregnancy in a perimenopausal woman in North India

Pseudocyesis is an uncommon event in non-psychotic women. In developing or rural areas, it is comparatively common due to multiple factors including socio-economic conditions, cultural beliefs, illiteracy, religion, marital status and marital relations. We present a strange case of pseudo-pregnancy in a 40-year-old perimenopausal age group woman on Antara injectable contraceptive for 14 months. She had one living female child of 4 years but no male child. She had reported amenorrhea for one year with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, weight gain and tightening of clothes. There were symptoms of fear from her attendant. She insisted on repeated urine pregnancy tests and ultrasonography despite normal findings with no signs of abortion, pregnancy or post-partum. A diagnosis of pseudocyesis was made. The case report focuses on the presentation of pseudocyesis and management of this uncanny psychiatric illness.