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Denied pregnancy
1Liaison Clinic, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
Objective:
To review the literature on the topic of denied pregnancy and present a case study that illustrates some salient points.
Clinical Picture:
A 21-year-old woman was unaware of her pregnancy until she went into labour, at which time she went into a state of panic. She delivered a dead baby.
Treatment:
She was interviewed over the 5 days following delivery and referred for psychiatric assessment. She was discharged when cleared of serious psychiatric illness.
Outcome:
At follow-up she was well but haunted by recollections of the delivery. She was referred for further counselling.
Conclusions:
Denial of pregnancy is more common than realised. It is a heterogeneous condition associated with different coping styles and psychiatric diagnoses. Early testing for pregnancy is recommended in young women with nausea, weight gain and menstruation-like bleeding.