Protracted Gestation
Ok, now we are at the part that seems to be the most unbelievable of a cryptic pregnancy, but I assure you, it is very possible. I have come across many medical journals from all over the world that have documented some of these cases, as well as many support groups and blogs from women that have successfully had their babies after an extended gestation period. Nobody knows a woman’s body like she does. In most cases of cryptic pregnancy, she will be able to pin point when she started feeling “different” with signs and symptoms of pregnancy. Protracted gestation has been documented in many species, including the human variety.
A protracted gestation is simply a gestation time that goes beyond the normal 40-42 weeks. This is another exception to one of the rules of nature. Because there have been no case studies on cryptic pregnancy, it is hard to determine the percentage of these pregnancies that have protracted gestation times, and those that have normal gestation times. There is no typical timing to go by, the gestation time is determined by the fetal growth and how long it takes the fetus to reach the maturity it needs to survive outside of the womb. At one point in time, the placenta was thought to have an expiration date right around 40 weeks, however, that line of reasoning has been proven wrong. The placenta is not an organ that ages, it lasts for as long as the fetus needs it to survive. Also, one of the things that has been found to trigger labor is a protein called surfactant. That protein is found in our lungs and is essential for normal breathing outside of the womb. When the lungs are developed, they start to produce that protein. As the fetus practices breathing in the amniotic fluid, the protein is released. Over time, the surfactant protein sets off a chain reaction that causes labor to begin. The longer it takes the fetus's lungs to develop and produce the surfactant protein, the longer the gestation time. There have been cases ranging from the normal 9-10 months on to upwards of 5 years. It comes down to the hormonal imbalance, the severity of that imbalance, and the amount of nutrients available to the fetus. HCG is one of the hormones responsible for fetal growth. Without that, the fetus gets enough nutrients through the placenta to survive, but not necessarily to thrive. Often times the fetus will “stall” in its growth, normally those times are triggered by stress in the mother. Marco Del Giudice writes:
“… cryptic pregnancy could be an adaptive pattern of ‘forced cooperation’ between mother and fetus in stressful or threatening ecological circumstances, as suggested by the reported association with elevated psychosocial stress. In case of reduced survival probability, both mother and fetus would benefit if the mother reduced investment in pregnancy in order to maximize her chances of surviving and reaching delivery.”
Through all of the research that I have done, cases of protracted gestation are virtually nonexistent, or at least not reported, later on in the 1900’s and beyond. Why would that be? It’s a very simple explanation that starts in 1968. That’s right, the year that HCG tests were invented. Before that, doctors relied on pelvic exams, change in menstruation, and listening to the woman’s abdomen for signs like a fetal heartbeat or a placenta. Since the invention of HCG tests, women have been denied those basic forms of detection when that initial HCG test says “negative”. If the pregnancy turns “normal” and HCG suddenly starts being produced, the only thing that is taken into consideration is the gestational size of the fetus, not when conception occurred and the woman started noticing pregnancy symptoms and a change in her body.