Abortion glossary :: Cryptic Pregnancy
The term "cryptic pregnancy" describes a scenario wherein a person is unaware of their pregnancy until late in gestation, or even until the moment of birth. This usually occurs for a variety of reasons, which may include one or more of the following:
- absence of common signs of pregnancy
- anterior placental positioning, which can make it harder to feel fetal movements
- false-negative results from pregnancy tests
- medical conditions like PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrom) that obscure common signs of pregnancy
- mistaking irregular bleeding for a period
- psychological factors such as stress, shame, a history of infertility, work/life imbalance, draconian laws that criminalize pregnant people, medical expenses, etc.
- underestimating symtoms or completely ignoring them
Risk factors can also be exacerbated by a lack of prenatal care, untreated complications, missing vaccinations, stillbirth, lack of preparation for labour and delivery, etc.
Debating strategy
A common anti-choice objection is to falsely accuse the pregnant person of lying so they can use a sort of "loophole" to dishonestly justify getting an abortion.
While it's easy to delve into a few different topical avenues in response, it's better to dismiss the false accusation as an obvious attempt to vilify pregnant people, followed by immediately continuing with the focus on the actual topic at hand.
See also