Expectant fathers suffer ‘sympathy’ pains

Symptoms of morning sickness, cramps, back pain and swollen stomachs have all been common complaints for some Dads-to-be. The condition is called Couvade Syndrome and researchers at St George's University, London, studied 282 men whose partners were pregnant, to find out more about this phenomenon.

Experts monitored men, aged between 19 and 55, while their partners were going through antenatal care at the hospital. Male partners suffering similar pregnancy symptoms not only complained of morning sickness, cramps, back pain and swollen stomachs, but also mood swings, food cravings, fatigue and insomnia.

However, couvade is not recognised as a medical condition. Experts believe it could be due to anxiety over the pregnancy. Dr Arthur Brennan, senior lecturer at St Georges, who led the study, said, "These men were so attuned to their partners, they started to develop the same symptoms."

One man in the study said: "I was constantly hungry all the time and had an unstoppable craving for chicken kormas and poppadoms."Even in the early hours of the morning I would get up and prepare myself one. It was strange to say the least."

Another member of the study insisted that the stomach pain he experienced during labour outranked his wife's discomfort. "It seemed like my pain was worse," he said. "Her contractions were fairly strong, but she couldn't push and as that was happening my stomach pain was building up and up and getting worse and worse."

Dr Brennan said, "Some people may perceive this as men trying to get in on the act, but far from being attention-seeking, these symptoms are involuntary.
Dr Harriet Gross, senior lecturer in the Department of Human Sciences at

Loughborough University said the syndrome had been identified and it was believed to have a sympathetic basis. "It would be interesting to know whether there was a correlation between women who suffer the worst symptoms and what their partners experience."

WWW.NEWS.BBC.CO.UK - 16th JUNE

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Last Modified: 03/08/2007

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