I think it's pretty safe to say that not knowing you're pregnant ranks really high on the list of scariest things you can face in your lifetime. But we see it a lot. Heck, the multiple seasons of the show I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant are proof!
Well, the wife of an OB-GYN caught the attention of over a million people for asking her husband questions about how common it really is — and his experience seeing patients who don't know they're pregnant. In the TikTok video, she asks, "You know that show I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant — how some people don't know they're pregnant until they're in labor? Have you ever had anybody that didn't know they were pregnant?"
His response? "Yeah, we see that all the time...the ones that really get you are the ones who don't know they're pregnant and it turns out they have twins."
"Some people go a long time without having periods; they think, Oh, I can't get pregnant, I never have my periods; or they have bleeding in their pregnancy and they think it is their period; or ... 'I just thought I was gaining weight,'" her husband says in the video.
"By the time they get to us, somebody has already told them they are pregnant," he continues. "Usually, they come into the emergency room — and we have a separate one for pregnant people — so they come into the main emergency room and they are like, 'Are you pregnant?' and they're like, 'No.' Then they do a pregnancy test or an ultrasound and they're like, 'Oh, actually, yes, you are pregnant.' So I don't get to be the one to tell them, 'You are pregnant.'"
When asked if the people are in a state of shock, he says, "Yeah, usually they're like, 'I'm not ready for this at all. I didn't even know I was pregnant.'"
And if you're still skeptical about how common it is, the thousands of comments will prove otherwise.
Lots of people know someone personally this happened to...
And even people who have had kids before have experienced it!
After all of this, we knew we needed to reach out to get more information. BuzzFeed spoke to Jordanna Lembo Riggs, who recorded the video, and her husband, Dr. Keith Riggs.
Riggs said that he sees people who don't know they are pregnant several times a year. "Most often they show up to the hospital complaining about stomach pains or suspected appendicitis, only to find out they are in labor."
So why does this happen more often than you'd think? Riggs said part of the problem is that a lot of the symptoms of pregnancy vary from person to person. "For example, some people have really bad nausea and vomiting their first trimester, and some people feel fine."
That being said, there are some lesser-known pregnancy red flags you can look out for if you're sexually active because — not to scare you — no contraceptive is 100% effective.
You can see a breakdown of how effective each form of contraception on the market is here.
1. Pay close attention to your period. "If you normally have regular periods and are missing a period, or if your period has become spotty, these could be signs of pregnancy," said Riggs. People who experience spotting early on may be experiencing implantation bleeding. In addition, some people bleed at times throughout their pregnancy, which can be mistaken for a regular period.
2. Unexplained weight gain. This article may help you determine whether your weight gain is related to pregnancy.
3. Unexplained fatigue. Being overly tired can be caused by a number of things, but pregnancy can be one of them.
4. A change in appetite. As your body goes through the changes that happen during pregnancy, you may lose your appetite or have cravings for foods you never liked before.
5. A suddenly strong sense of smell. Hormonal changes affecting estrogen levels cause this.
These are all in addition to the more common pregnancy symptoms, such as morning sickness, swollen breasts, increased urination, heartburn, and constipation.
However, just because you experience one or more of these symptoms does NOT automatically mean you are pregnant! "Always take a pregnancy test to be certain. False negatives are super rare, except in situations when you may be testing too early," Riggs said. "If you are testing after a missed period, it is very likely to be accurate. If you still suspect pregnancy, retest it in one week."
And never assume that you can’t get pregnant just because you’re not having your periods or you’ve been told before that you’re infertile. "If you’re having sex without contraception, there is always a possibility that you can get pregnant. I’ve seen a patient over 50 who didn’t realize she could get pregnant came into the OR for an unrelated issue and found out she was pregnant. We assume that every reproductive-aged patient who comes into the hospital is pregnant until proven otherwise," said Riggs.
