Healthcare Providers’ Reports of Encounters with women with Cryptic Pregnancies and HIV status of Acquired babies in Southeast Nigeria

Background: Nigerian cryptic or false pregnancy is a scam that lures infertile women into believing they can conceive and give birth to their babies. Case reports have documented HIV-infected babies born to HIV-negative mothers via the Nigerian cryptic pregnancy. The study explored healthcare providers’ encounters with women who had babies through the Nigerian cryptic pregnancy method and the health outcomes of the infants. Methods: It was a cross-sectional observational study conducted among 388 healthcare providers who completed the questionnaires from two tertiary hospitals in Abakaliki. A structured e-questionnaire (Google Form) was sent to various specialties within the hospitals via their respective group WhatsApp platforms, and the necessary information was extracted from the completed questionnaires. Results: A total of 185 (47.7%) of the 388 healthcare providers had encountered women who had babies through the Nigerian cryptic pregnancy scam. The majority of the healthcare providers were females (120/185, 64.9%), married (150/185, 81.1%), and medical doctors (135/185, 73.0%). More than half (57.3%) had practiced for 11 to 20 years, and 42.7% were within 40-49 years of age. A total of 36 (19.4%) of the healthcare providers reported HIV infections in children born through the Nigerian cryptic pregnancy. Of note was that the ascribed mothers were HIV-negative. There was a significant relationship between having an HIV-infected child and place of delivery of the cryptic pregnancy (ꭓ2 = 27.06, p-value <0.001). Conclusion: The frequent reports of HIV-infected babies from cryptic pregnancies are of great concern, highlighting the need for awareness and stronger health systems.