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The Pregnant Man?

Couvade Syndrome in Expectant Dads

By Laura Paul

Brott says men should not be ashamed or troubled if they do or don't experience sympathy symptoms. However, he says the symptoms could serve as a warning sign of issues that need to be resolved. He says not all of the symptoms are necessarily psychosomatic since men do experience hormonal changes during the woman's pregnancy.

Some men might experience indigestion, nausea, vomiting, weight gain, diarrhea, headache, toothache, itchy skin and backache. "One theory is that it's a completely subconscious attempt to get attention, which is perfectly normal," Brott says. "I've written a lot about the psychology of men going through pregnancy. They are going through a lot but no one is paying attention to them." He says another theory speculates sympathy symptoms show a man's subconscious desire to take away some of the pain from the woman.

Toward the end of the pregnancy when there is nothing a man can do to help her feel better other than put on a few pounds or have a headache, it's a way of empathizing, he says. "Then the other theory, which is very interesting, comes from researchers in Canada who found men's hormone levels during pregnancy mirror their wives hormone levels," Brott says. "They are like two railroad tracks next to each other."

Brott's own children are 13, 10 and 5 months old. He has known expectant fathers who had stomachaches and headache. His own father had a nosebleed.

Cindy Adamson, a doula in Grand Forks, N.D., believes men develop a "sixth sense" during the pregnancy. "This sixth sense may also be intensified by the amount of bonding the mother, father and baby have had during the pregnancy," she says. Whether sympathy symptoms are simply an expression of a man's sixth sense, hormonal changes or subconscious fears, most men do experience some physical discomforts that mirror the woman's discomforts. Some people simply attribute it to stress. Some of the most common symptoms include insomnia and weight gain.

Want to see more?

• Coping With Morning Sickness: How to Help Your Partner
• Going the Full Nine: How to be a Model Husband From the First Day of Pregnancy to the Last
• Putting Yourself in Her Shoes: Sympathy-Building Exercises for the Dad-to-be
• Talk about it!

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