It's a medical issue. It's not something that a woman can control. Though it can be caused by psychogenic factors, it can also be due to a tumor or an endocrine disorder.

Having a hysterical pregnancy does NOT mean she is a 'loose cannon'. It means she had a lot of pressure on her to conceive and all that stress made her body trick itself into thinking it was pregnant. We don't know where that stress came from. More than likely she contributed to it herself, but that's not to say she was the only one. Maybe their families were stressing them out or maybe her husband was stressing about it too and then once he thought she was pregnant he realised that he wasn't ready and then that was why he was relieved.

I actually mostly agree with you CharleneW. It does not directly mean that she is one, but she definitely has a greater possibility to become one. Why is this? You answered this in saying that she had a lot of pressure. Who puts that on a person? Everything and everyone but in the end, you put the pressure on yourself. If my parents were constantly on my back and "stressed" me out to become a space cowboy astronaut and I let their thoughts alter my mind and body to a breaking point where i get a disorder, I HAVE AN ISSUE and i am unstable. Also to the point above from idkweird, yes it is a medical issue, but so is depression. Sure some people have horrible events in their life that lead to depression but some people make believe that they have depression because their mind convinces them that and it just builds up on itself. SOME women can control their mind enough to not ever get hysterical pregnancy, some can't (and this includes uncontrollable factors like tumors all the way to irrational factors that if the women was stable enough, would not have.)

All of them are uncontrollable factors. Every single one. Depression, real depression, is uncontrollable. Why do you think people take medication? It's an actual chemical imbalance in the brain. If you actually think any of it is controllable, then you really don't know much about medicine, in general. Also, a tumor or an endocrine disorder have nothing to do with the mind. It changes chemicals/hormones on it's own. Im talking from a medical standpoint, as I have never had any of those issues.

#68: What is controllable is not becoming so obsessed with the rooted desire initially, such that such a psychosomatic cascade doesn't occur in the first place.

Was there really such need for such vitriol, #76? Defending someone against insensitivity by being many times more bitter and offensive?

#82: and if it were caused by a tumor or an endocrine disorder? How is it then controlled?

Thats a horrible analogy. Her fake pregnancy has physical factors. She wasnt just being delusional, her body tricked her. Can your body physically change into a space cowboy's? It doesnt even have to be the stress of wanting a child. Regular stress can cause it. You say its possible to control this with your mind.. When did you gain control of your hormones? I have no power over the chemistry of my body.

idkweird: She said herself that there was a history of desperation for motherhood, making it more a likely case than such a stochastic event. If it was a tumour, it would likely have been mentioned in the post, since it's most likely one of the first things that would be checked for.

of course it was a ridiculous example, thus me saying it was ridiculous. my body sadly cannot transform into whatever a "space cowboy" would be...... if regular stress causes someone to become hysterically pregnant, i hope to god that person does not do anything stressful. Here is a list of stressful things. Traffic, marriage, tests, asking someone on a date, getting ready in the morning, o wait, DAILY LIFE CAUSES REGULAR STRESS. #82 said it right #76 not so much, first off, we have no idea she is dealing with infertility, she very well could have already had 45 children and wants the 46th child REALLY BADLY. (again people who don't get exaggerations, stop reading) Secondly, you have no idea what "gut-wrenching" things i've been though but what I can tell you is that it didn't take over my mind and body and give me a disorder because like #82 said, the initially state is controllable by not letting it take over your entire life leading you to mental disorders. Thirdly, what OP went through is the tragic loss of a NON EXISTENT BABY.

#108: Everyone deals with stress differently. Just because your stress doesn't affect your life physically does not mean that other people are weaker or just can't control their emotions. People get all sorts of issues from stress. If someone gets an ulcer, is that just because they cant control their emotions? What if that same person is working 60 hours a week every week and is under ridiculously hard to meet deadlines? I have a feeling that you have no idea what real stress is. It's cute that you pretend to, though. A woman wanting a baby does not make her crazy or a "loose cannon." It means she wants a kid. Some people do try super hard and get disappointed every step of the way. That doesn't mean they can't control their emotions. Hell, even some women who want nothing to do with kids have experienced this phenomenon. Because they don't want them SO badly that they stress the opposite way. Men get sympathy pains/pregnancy. Does that just mean they are unable to control their emotions as well?

Oh. That's sweet.

A lot of animals are known to do that. Humans, too, if you think about it. The only difference between animals and humans is that humans are generally aware of the fact that it's not actually their child AKA adoption. I read a story about a tiger who lost her babies due to a miscarriage. She got so depressed that her caretakers eventually dressed some piglets in a little tiger outfit and had her take care of them. It was quite sweet.