Between 1987 and 1990 27 women were observed who professed they did no
t know they were pregnant until term or until premature contractions s
et in. The aim of this study was to evaluate obstetric history and pre
gnancy outcomes and assess defence mechanisms and coping strategies wh
ich contribute to negation Of pregnancy. In 11 women pregnancy was den
ied until delivery, five of these had breech presentations. In nine wo
men denial ended between 27 and 36 weeks and in seven women between 21
and 26 weeks of gestation. Three of the four fetal deaths that occurr
ed and two of the three cases of prematurity occurred in the last grou
p. There was no infanticide but one woman delivered her infant alone a
nd concealed. Most women reported irregular, sometimes menstruation-li
ke bleedings during pregnancy, three women had taken oral contraceptiv
es during pregnancy- Few women reported actual symptoms of pregnancy,
such as nausea and weight gain. Denial of pregnancy is a heterogeneous
condition with different meanings and different psychiatric diagnoses
in different women. Stressors (eg. separation from partner, interpers
onal problems etc.) do play an important role as precipitating factors
for the development of an adjustment disorder with maladaptive denial
of pregnancy. There is a fluid transition between conscious coping st
rategies and unconscious defence mechanisms.