This article is about the medical term. For the male pregnancy ritual, seeCouvade.
Couvade syndrome, also calledsympathetic pregnancy, is a proposed condition in which an expectant father experiences some of the same symptoms and behavior as his pregnant partner.[1] These most often include major weight gain, altered hormone levels,morning nausea, and disturbedsleep patterns. In more extreme cases, symptoms can includelabor pains, fatigue,postpartum depression, andnosebleeds. The labor pain symptom is commonly known assympathy pain.
The source of Couvade syndrome is a matter of debate. Some believe it to be apsychosomatic condition, while others believe it may have biological causes relating to hormone changes.[2]
The name derives from "couvade", a class of male pregnancy rituals.
Symptoms experienced by the partner can include stomach pain, back pain, indigestion, changes in appetite, weight gain,acne,diarrhea, constipation, headache, toothache,[3]cravings, nausea, breast augmentation, breast growth, dry navel, hardening of the nipple, excessiveearwax, andinsomnia.[2] A qualitative study listed 35 symptoms from Couvade literature, including gastrointestinal,genitourinary, respiratory, oral or dental, stiffening of the glutes, generalized aches and pains, and other symptoms.[4]
Psychological causes suggested have included anxiety, pseudo-sibling rivalry, identification with the fetus, ambivalence about fatherhood, orparturition envy.[3] According to Osvlosky and Culp (1989), pregnancy causes the male counterpart to experience an emergence of ambivalence as well as a recurrence ofOedipal conflict.[5] In 1920s France, Couvade was claimed to be more common in conditions where sex roles are flexible and the female is of a dominant status.[6]
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Studies have shown that the male partner cohabitating with a pregnant female will experience hormonal shifts in hisprolactin,cortisol,estradiol, andtestosterone levels, typically starting at the end of the first trimester and continuing through several weeks post-partum.[7]
^Storey, Anne E.; Walsh, Carolyn J.; Quinton, Roma L.; Wynne-Edwards, Katherine E. (March 2000). "Hormonal correlates of paternal responsiveness in new and expectant fathers".Evolution and Human Behavior.21 (2):79–95.Bibcode:2000EHumB..21...79S.doi:10.1016/S1090-5138(99)00042-2.PMID10785345.
Lipkin, Mack; Lamb, G. S. (1982). "The Couvade Syndrome: An Epidemiologic Study".Annals of Internal Medicine.96 (4):509–11.doi:10.7326/0003-4819-96-4-509.PMID7199885.
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