An Obstetrician Gynecologist, Dr Dixie Constantini, has advised society not to disregard complaints from husbands or male partners that they feel what their pregnant wives did.
She said some men experienced depression, abdominal pains, backache, nausea, heartburn, leg cramps among others and so if they asked for help, people should be kind enough to offer them.
“They might not be lying if they told you they feel as their wives do,” she said in an interview with the Ghanaian Times on Tuesday here.
Dr Constantini said “couvade syndrome or sympathetic pregnancy” occurred when healthy men whose partners were expecting a baby, experienced pregnancy-related symptoms.
She said though it was not a recognised mental illness or disease, some men battled physical and psychological symptoms.
She said these usually occurred during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy for such men.
She said though symptoms associated with this syndrome varied from person to person lending them a helping hand whether at home or work was worth it.
The Obstetrician Gynecologist said the psychological symptoms included restlessness, reduced libido, changes in sleeping patterns, and anxiety.
“The physical symptoms may also include respiratory problems, urinary or genital irritations, appetite changes, bloating among others,” she said.
She said for pregnant women, if their husbands or partners complained they felt same, it should not be treated as untrue because some did feel like pregnant women do.
FROM DZIFA TETTEH TAY, TEMA
