The Couvade Syndrome

Abstract

Pregnancy in their wives is known to precipitate mental illness in some husbands (Zilboorg, 1931; Freeman, 1951; Towne and Afterman, 1955). But the fact that it may more commonly cause physical symptoms seems never to have been fully investigated, and has only occasionally been reported in the medical press.

A qualitative exploration of the Couvade syndrome in expectant fathers

“…The failure to specifically diagnose or show a physiological basis for physical symptoms is consistent with the defining criteria of the syndrome identified in other studies (Klein, 1991;Mason and Elwood 1995). Their onset and cessation periods demonstrate the same (Trethowan and Conlon 1965;Clinton, 1987). However, the persistence of sleeping problems and tiredness for some men into the postpartum was unsurprising given the likelihood of the newborn baby's nocturnal crying.…”

“…Early accounts tended to medicalise the syndrome as a psychosomatic disorder (Trethowan & Conlon 1965;Trethowan, 1968). Enoch 'et al ' (1967) refer to it as an "uncommon psychiatric syndrome".…”

“…The syndrome's incidence has a wide international variation, and early reports from the U.K. have a wide range of 11-50% (Trethowan & Conlon 1965;Dickens & Trethowan, 1971). Bogren (1984) found an incidence of 20% in Sweden.…”

“…This might imply that a transitional crisis is less likely to occur if the male partner is better prepared for his new role but the fact that he is, still predisposes him to the syndrome, which contradicts psychosocial theories. Other paternal theories propose an association between the syndrome and anxiety (Trethowan & Conlon, 1965;Strickland, 1987;Brown, 1988). It is difficult, however, to determine whether anxiety is the cause or consequence of the syndrome.…”

A critical review of the Couvade syndrome: the pregnant male

“…However, the syndrome is mentioned in the Dictionary of Medical Syndromes (Magalini and Magalini, 1997), where it is proposed as a neurotic disorder which occurs in men whose partners are pregnant, usually within the first and third trimesters of pregnancy. Trethowan and Conlon (1965) defined it as "a state of physical symptoms of psychogenic origin which occurred in the partners of pregnant women". The symptoms are chronologically connected to the pregnancy with their cessation at the birth of the child or shortly within the postpartum period.…”