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A cryptic pregnancy, also known as stealth, denied or hidden pregnancy, is when the fetus goes undetected by the mother or physicians due to a number of reasons. Most cryptic pregnancies go unnoticed due to a hormonal imbalance at the time of implantation which causes the placenta to not produce HCG as a normal pregnancy would. In this modern age, we rely on those pregnancy tests as if they will give a fool proof answer when in reality, there are always exceptions. Urine and blood tests come back negative for HCG and are assumed to mean “not pregnant”. However, a pregnancy can continue and be viable without the production of detectable HCG (stated by The Pregnancy Lab, Scripps Laboratories, European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, US National Library of Medicine, etc.). It has been found that about 1 out of every 450 pregnancies have an undetectable amount of HCG. That is 8,840 pregnancies in the US in 2015, and over 263,000 worldwide. Those levels can remain undetectable for the duration of the pregnancy, or they may turn “normal” at some point during the pregnancy. A handful of those pregnancies that become normal may be a normal pregnancy on top of a cryptic pregnancy (superfetation). Some pregnancies will be confirmed if the placenta starts producing HCG, some may be confirmed through a positive ultrasound, and some will be unconfirmed throughout the entire pregnancy.
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***A theory that I am currently exploring deals with the retroverted uterus. When the uterus is not in the optimal position, it restricts the flow of lymph and blood.
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“Restriction or ptosis of the uterus can disturb arterial, venous and lymphatic circulation
in the pelvis and lower extremities. This occurs through both direct compression and
reflex vascular spasms. A retroverted, non-mobile uterus is often purplish-blue in color,
edematous, and heavy. When a surgeon verticalizes it and normal circulation restored,
it quickly recovers its normal pinkish color.” Jean-Pierre Barral pg 143 of Urogenital
Manipulation
A retroverted/retroflexed uterus can theoretically restrict HCG from entering the blood stream, and limit the amount of nutrients that flow to the placenta, at the same time interfere with hormonal communication between the uterus, ovaries and the pituitary gland, creating a longer gestation time.
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In some of the cryptic pregnancies that have spontaneously turned normal, HCG is found in their blood and urine, pregnancy hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and prolactin begin to rise, and in most cases, a fetus is clearly seen on an ultrasound. However, the HCG is usually at levels much higher than normal for the gestational age of the fetus. In theory, the retroverted or retroflexed uterus pops out of its incarcerated position (see ultrasounds), returning blood flow and allowing trapped HCG to flow into the bloodstream. One common symptom in the cases that have turned normal is the overwhelming sickness when it happens, often times to the point of hospitalization, most likely due to the system being flooded with HCG and possibly high volumes of other pregnancy hormones, all at once instead of a gradual increase such as in a normal pregnancy. Another commonality is the ability to see the fetus on an ultrasound when it was previously not seen. In theory, it is the uterus returning to a normal position that makes this possible (see incarcerated uterus on the ultrasounds page). With a retroverted uterus, in pregnancy as it grows, it usually returns to a normal anterior position before or around weeks 12 to 16, some have been reported slightly later. In all of the cases that I have seen of cryptic pregnancies that have turned normal before giving birth, the gestational age of the fetus has been smaller than 17 weeks. Those that go on to have a completely cryptic pregnancy until birth, I believe to have had an incarcerated uterus, unable to flip into a normal position once the fetus and uterus grew too large to be able to change position.
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After a cryptic pregnancy normalizes, the fetus starts growing at a fairly normal rate. This is probably due to the shift in uterus, allowing the increased blood flow to bring more nutrients to the placenta, and allowing the lymph and pituitary glands to get the signal to produce estrogen, progesterone, and prolactin. In my research into cryptic pregnancy, I have discovered that another commonality is that hormone levels are normal to low (unlike phantom pregnancy which are caused by abnormally high hormone levels). This is the reason why superfetation occurs, and this I believe, is what causes the slow gestational growth.​ Estrogen is a key steroidal hormone responsible for fetal development and growth rate. In a normal pregnancy, estradiol levels will rise to be 100x the normal rate, and estriol levels rise to be 1000x the normal rate. However, in a cryptic pregnancy estrogen levels rise and fall each month, never going above that of a normal monthly cycle.
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So in theory, in the case of a cryptic pregnancy due to a retroverted/retroflexed uterus, returning the uterus to an anterior (normal) position, may be able to correct the hormonal imbalances and normalize the pregnancy.
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What causes a cryptic pregnancy?
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An extreme amount of stress at the time of implantation
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Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
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Peri-menopause, which can begin as early as age 30, and go undetected.
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A recent pregnancy in which hormones have not gone back to normal before getting pregnant again.
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The woman is still breastfeeding and her hormones are not back to normal before getting pregnant again.
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A very low body fat %, causing a hormonal imbalance
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The woman has recently used or is currently using a birth control method such as the "Norplant", "Deprovera" Injection or the "Mirena Coil", that continually releases hormones into the body.
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Cryptic pregnancies can be a genetic trait passed on from mother to daughter.