Pseudocyesis in peri- and postmenopausal women

Abstract

Pseudocyesis or delusion of pregnancy is a rare psychopathological syndrome described in humans and higher mammals. We describe and discuss two cases of this rare syndrome in a 46-year perimenopausal and a 59-year old postmenopausal woman. Gynecologic, ultrasound examination, and biochemistry testing (β-HCG) confirm the diagnosis of nonexistent clinical and biochemical pregnancy. These examinations have the potential to confirm abdominal tumors, while psychiatric examinations generally reveal the psychic basis of the disease; which should be treated through team approach by both the psychiatrist and gynecologist. Additionally, special reference should be given to long-term psychiatric follow-up and management of the current mental stress and emotional problems by a combination of antipsychotics and psychotherapy, depending on each individual clinical picture. © 2010 Versita Warsaw and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.