Darling, I share your pain (and that's official)

HE cries in public, does the dishes and even has his own skincare regime. Now today’s
new man has gone one step further — by ‘getting pregnant’ in sympathy with his partner.

A study of men whose partners had babies has shown that the vast majority experience ‘pregnancy symptoms’, ranging from food cravings to swollen stomachs. The research was carried out at the Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences, jointly run by St George’s, University of London and Kingston University.

Study author Dr Arthur Brennan, Senior Lecturer in Research Methods and Statistics and Psychology, said: ‘These men were so attuned to their partners, they started to develop the same symptoms.’

A group of 282 expectant fathers aged from 19 to 55 were monitored through pregnancy and the results compared to a control group of 281.

Most men in the test group developed symptoms including mood swings, morning sickness and even pseudocyesis — where the abdomen swells to mimic a pregnant stomach.

With the exception of the false ‘baby bump’, which continued to grow post partum, symptoms worsened in early pregnancy, peaked during the third trimester and disappeared soon after birth.

Stomach cramps were among the most common symptoms. One father-to-be told researchers: ‘My stomach pains were very much like a build-up of a woman’s contraction as she’s giving birth. They started mild and then got stronger and stronger.’

Closely following were morning sickness and changes in appetite. One dad admitted: ‘I had an unstoppable craving for chicken kormas and poppadums. Even in the early hours.’

No one knows exactly why men experience what is known as Couvade Syndrome, but Dr
Brennan says: ‘Far from being attention-seeking, these symptoms are involuntary. Often the men haven’t got a clue about what’s happening. Doctors don’t recognise Couvade Syndrome — there’s no medical diagnosis. Yet this research proves that Couvade Syndrome really exists.’

The results of the study, the largest of its kind in the UK, were echoed by the experience of St George’s, University of London midwives. Dr Val Collington, Head of the School of Midwifery, said: ‘Midwives might not be surprised at these findings. One midwife told me that in her experience, men often complain of nausea during the early stage of their partner’s pregnancy.’