Woman Thought She Had Kidney Stones, Turns Out It Was A Hidden Pregnancy

An 18-year-old woman recently shared how she thought she had kidney stones that were causing her stomach ache but when she went to the doctor, it was found that she was having labour pain. She delivered a healthy baby girl in this rare case of cryptic pregnancy, here's what it is about.

18-year-old Brianna Blanton was living her normal life in South Carolina when she started having severe pain in her ribs and stomach. Unaware of the situation, she thought she had kidney stones and went to the hospital the doctors found that she was in labour pain and about to deliver a baby. She was shocked because she had no signs of pregnancy. She did not have a baby bump nor did she gain weight and also had her regular menstrual cycle.

She even took multiple pregnancy tests that were all negative. The teenager was shocked on finding out that she was pregnant as she was admitted in the hospital for delivery. Before she could fathom what was happening, she had already given birth to a healthy girl who she named Oakleigh. The doctors claimed it to be a cryptic pregnancy, a rare condition where the pregnancy is not detected even after five months of conceiving.

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18-Year-Old Woman's Cryptic Pregnancy

Cryptic or stealth pregnancy cases are one in about 500 and the pregnancy goes unnoticed because people mistake it for some other condition. Cryptic pregnancy does not cause common pregnancy symptoms like nausea and vomiting which makes people think they are fine. In many cases, like that of Blanton, even pregnancy tests fail because they are either taken too early or the woman suffers from hormonal imbalance. However, a sure indication of pregnancy is a missed period which is bound to happen once the egg is fertilised. However, many times women don't stop bleeding during cryptic pregnancy but that is not because of menstruation but is actually aberrant pregnancy or implantation bleeding.

A very common cause of cryptic pregnancy is known to be denial or ignorance. Women who suffer from PCOS or perimenopausal symptoms or those who are on birth control rule out the possibility of being pregnant as their symptoms overlap with that of pregnancy. Others might deny being pregnant even after getting a positive test or can get a negative test if they have low hormone levels. It is important to get checked by a doctor if you see any change in your body or its operations and are sexually active. Don't ignore signs that may indicate you are pregnant. It is recommended to take a pregnancy test a week after you have missed your period. Know that cryptic pregnancy is not fatal or complicated but it is always better to know if you are pregnant or not instead of getting a surprise when you go into labour like Blanton.

Though rare, the condition is not entirely non-existent and there have been many people who have shared their experience of cryptic pregnancy online and how they couldn't detect they were pregnant until they went into labour or visited a doctor for a check-up. It is great to see that despite Blanton not being aware of the pregnancy, her baby was born healthy without any complications. She said that though there was a commotion in the family as she went into labour and post her delivery, now everyone has come to terms with it and saysher daughter is the best thing to have happened to her.