Pseudo pregnancy and labour
digital file Black & White Silent 1934 6:27
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Summary: An interesting record of a case of pseudo-cyesis which went into pseudo-labour. The female patient's history is given menstruation halted due to the menopause, but the patient believed she was pregnant. A pseudo-pregnancy continued for nine months and resulted in a pseudo-labour. 1 segment.
Title number: 17996
LSA ID: LSA/21153
Description: Segment 1 The intertitles give a detailed history of the patient, explaining that she is 45-years-old and 'highly-strung and imaginative'. The patient believed she was pregnant after going through the menopause and her abdomen increased progressively in size. When the pseudo-labour began, a doctor and nurse were called and the patient told them her waters had broken and that she was having contractions. The abdomen appeared characteristic of a pregnancy at term, with what looked like strong foetal movements. However, a vaginal examination showed that the patient was not in labour or pregnant. Ether anaesthetic was administered and the patient's abdomen became lax. The patient was very shocked. The waters breaking was in fact the patient emptying her bladder. The intertitles note that the chief interest of this case is the movement of the abdominal muscles, which were produced by subconscious suggestion. The patient is then shown. Her abdomen and breasts are seen, and the movement of the abdominal muscles is shown. Time start: 00:00:00:00 Time end: 00:06:27:06 Length: 00:06:27:06
Credits: Produced by H.B. Whitehouse and the Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Birmingham.
Keywords: Obstetrics; Psychiatry; Pseudopregnancy
Locations: United Kingdom; England; Birmingham; University of Birmingham
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