Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 4, 2026

Mouse Model of Surgical Uterine Injury and Subsequent Pregnancy Outcomes
04:08

Mouse Model of Surgical Uterine Injury and Subsequent Pregnancy Outcomes

Published on: June 27, 2025

1.3K

Fantasies about the fetus in wanted and unwanted pregnancies

E C Senay1, S Wexler

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

Journal of Youth and Adolescence
|January 14, 2014
PubMed

Clinical experience suggests that women seeking abortion inhibit, either partially or completely, the normal process of fantasy about the fetus. To study this phenomenon more systematically, we compared five categories of fantasies in women (N=28)who wanted to carry their pregnancies to term with similar data in women (N=18)who did not want to carry their pregnancies to term and were seeking therapeutic abortion. All women desiring term pregnancies reported fantasies in multiple categories, and none denied having any fantasies concerning their unborn child. Sixteen of eighteen women seeking therapeutic abortion denied fantasy in any of the five categories tested: sex of the child-to-be, personal qualities and achievement, name of child, eye color, and imagining holding and/or nurturing the child. The remaining two women reported only fantasies about the sex of the child. The data obtained in this study tentatively support the hypothesis that women seeking abortion inhibit the process of fantasy formation about the fetus within them.

More Related Videos

Is My Mouse Pregnant? High-Frequency Ultrasound Assessment02:39

Is My Mouse Pregnant? High-Frequency Ultrasound Assessment

Published on: March 18, 2021

6.9K
A Novel Use of Three-dimensional High-frequency Ultrasonography for Early Pregnancy Characterization in the Mouse07:04

A Novel Use of Three-dimensional High-frequency Ultrasonography for Early Pregnancy Characterization in the Mouse

Published on: October 24, 2017

8.1K

Related Concept Videos

Teratogenicity01:07

Teratogenicity

The ability of a drug to produce structural deformations and functional abnormalities in the developing embryo or the fetus is called teratogenicity, and the drug producing this effect is known as a teratogen. Teratogenic effects include stillbirth, miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, and neurocognitive delay. A teratogen may affect the embryo at different stages of development, which is important in determining the type and extent of the damage. During blastocyst formation, the early...
4.2K
Psychosexual Stages of Personality: Phallic01:12

Psychosexual Stages of Personality: Phallic

The third stage of psychosexual development proposed by Freud is the phallic stage, occurring between the ages of 3 and 6. During this period, children become aware of their bodies and the differences between males and females. The erogenous zone in this stage is the genitals, and conflicts arise as children develop desires toward the opposite-sex parent. Boys experience the Oedipus complex, where they desire their mother and view their father as a rival. This leads to castration anxiety, the...
2.3K
In Vitro Fertilization01:24

In Vitro Fertilization

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a form of assisted reproductive technology where an egg is fertilized with sperm in a controlled laboratory environment before transferring the resulting embryo into the uterus. This process is designed to help individuals and couples experiencing difficulties conceiving.
The IVF process begins with ovarian stimulation, during which reproductive endocrinologists prescribe hormonal medications to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs instead of the single...
1.6K
Fertilization01:38

Fertilization

During fertilization, an egg and sperm cell fuse to create a new diploid structure. In humans, the process occurs once the egg has been released from the ovary, and travels into the fallopian tubes. The process requires several key steps: 1) sperm present in the genital tract must locate the egg; 2) once there, sperm need to release enzymes to help them burrow through the protective zona pellucida of the egg; and 3) the membranes of a single sperm cell and egg must fuse, with the sperm...
68.8K
Fetal Circulation01:14

Fetal Circulation

Fetal circulation is a unique system that facilitates the exchange of gases, nutrients, and waste products between the developing fetus and the mother. This intricate process takes place through a special organ called the placenta.
Two umbilical arteries transport blood from the fetus to the placenta. At the placenta, the blood absorbs oxygen and nutrients while simultaneously eliminating waste products. This oxygen-enriched and nutrient-rich blood then returns to the fetus through one...
5.0K
Development of the Sexual Organs in the Embryo and Fetus01:15

Development of the Sexual Organs in the Embryo and Fetus

Development of the reproductive organs in an embryo starts from a bipotential state. This means the early embryo can develop either male or female reproductive organs. The formation of these organs begins with the growth of gonadal ridges that arise from the intermediate mesoderm during the fifth week of development.
Near the gonadal ridges, two duct systems are present: the mesonephric ducts (Wolffian ducts) and paramesonephric ducts (Müllerian ducts). These ducts form the basis for the...
5.6K