The Very Real Mental Disorder of Pregnancy Addiction

Have you ever know someone who was addicted to pregnancy?  It’s very different from wanting a large family.  Women addicted to pregnancy are obsessed to the point that nearly every aspect of their life relates to wanting to be pregnant, trying to get pregnant or being pregnant.  Social media has fueled this addiction because now they can use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and more to search for ways to announce the pregnancypregnancy test

Pregnancy addiction is a real psychiatric disorder and women with the disorder will get pregnant over and over, even though they already are overwhelmed by the children they have.  The high comes from the pregnancy, making the announcement is such a high, they usually announce before the pee stick is dry.  Then the constant updates of morning sickness, cravings, belly pics, sonograms, names, big gender reveals and more.  This all leads up to the big day and the culmination of the big birth story.

pregnancy cake

Then without skipping a beat, they start discussing how long they will wait before becoming pregnant again and often post about the fact that they might be and asking their friends if they should test and then making them wait on the results. The reason this is so fun for them is because they feel like they are a star, they crave the attention and are usually very insecure and wanting to fill a void with the pregnancy.  This is something they can focus on and bask in the comments, praise and adoration of friends and family.  They can be neglectful of the children they have in order to focus their attention on connecting with social media about the pregnancy.

Psychologist and Psychiatrists describe pregnancy addiction and the constant need to get pregnant as much an addiction as substance or alcohol abuse.  Psychiatrists describe it as a mental disorder.  The women who suffer pregnancy addiction are usually stay-at-home moms without a job or career and feel being pregnant gives them a purpose and makes them valued.

pregnant woman

The women describe themselves as feeling feminine and womanly when pregnant and relish the adulation they receive because it makes them feel like the center of the universe.  Many women use the constant pregnancy as an excuse for not pursing any other interests, career or education.  They are insecure and uncomfortable with the thought of being outside their role as a mother.

pregnant-women

Other women are addicted to pregnancy as they feel it will save their marriages and that their husband will never leave them if they have lots of children.  They look at the children as something that will hold the marriage together like mortar and continue getting pregnant to avoid ever having an empty nest.  The children tend to be a buffer between the spouses and they lose touch of how to interact with their spouse alone.

pregnancy

The women feel an emotional rush when they think about getting pregnant and once pregnant the release of the hormone oxytocin makes them feel great.  They love the glow and the compliments they get when pregnant.  However, when the baby is born and the focus shifts, they often feel low and are obsessed with getting the feeling they had when pregnant back.  It makes no difference if they cannot physically care for their children, many addicted mothers neglect their children and focus on getting pregnant again.  They often will relish the newborn stage but as soon as the baby starts to become mobile they are deeply longing to be pregnant again.  Pregnancy addiction is a real disorder and women experiencing it should seek psychiatric treatment.

Do you know anyone that is addicted to pregnancy, let us know.

 

 


3 Comments

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3 Responses to The Very Real Mental Disorder of Pregnancy Addiction

  1. Mahdi Martin

    I’ve never personally known anyone like this, although it’s a very interesting article.

  2. Angela

    Another criteria might be having babies regardless of whether the father works or has a desire to have children. My cousin is married to a guy who’s never been able to hold down a full time job. He has a child from an earlier marriage he does not acknowledge, although his mother and brother visit the child occasionally. My cousin’s sister said that my cousin actually paid his child support a few times, before she, herself, married him and had children with him. She supports all of them with her salary, which of course, means she doesn’t get to spend a lot of time with them.

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