Biopsychosocial View To Pseudocyesis: A Narrative Review

Background: pseudocyesis is a psychopathological clinical syndrome in which a non-pregnant woman firmly believes herself to be pregnant and manifests many symptoms and signs of pregnancy. although the exact etiology of pseudocyesis has not been determined. objective: this study was conducted with the aim of assessing the biopsychosocial view to pseudocyesis. materials and methods: a comprehensive search in electronic databases such as google scholar, pubmed, sciencedirect, web of science, and scopus was conducted between 1943-2016 to retrieve pseudocyesis related articles. for this purpose, 1149 articles were collected and 66 items were used. results: findings were classified into 2 main categories: a) pseudocyesis etiology, which could include (biological psychological factors and psychiatric disorders, and social factors); and b) pseudocyesis management. conclusion: pseudocyesis results from a multidimensional group of factors, and a holistic and comprehensive approach should be taken to its treatment. cooperation between gynecologists and psychiatrists would likely be useful in addressing the condition.