Nto-Ezimah Uloaku Akubueze, Nto Nto Johnson, Esom Emmanuel Anayochukwu, Okwor Chika Juliet, Adiri Charles
Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nsukka, Nigeria.
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nsukka, Nigeria.
Pan Afr Med J. 2020 Jul 22;36:205. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2020.36.205.23790. eCollection 2020.
The etiology of cryptic pregnancy has not been fully elucidated and there exist misconceptions about this phenomenon in our contemporary Nigerian society. This case presents the first case report of cryptic pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa. A case of a 19 year old overweight female student who presented to the sick bay at 01: 30 hours with a 3-day history of lower back pain, abdominal discomfort and constipation. At the sick bay the general practitioner on call asked if she was pregnant and she vehemently said no, recounting that she sees her menstruation regularly. Abdominal examination however, revealed a gravid uterus of about 36 weeks and vaginal examination showed a fully dilated cervix. She was surprised, terrified and confused and only remembered having unprotected sexual intercourse many months earlier. Barely two hours later, she gave birth via spontaneous vaginal delivery, to a live female infant at 03: 14 hours. This case emphasizes the need for general practitioners and specialists in sub-Saharan Africa to be aware of the phenomenon of cryptic pregnancy, which involves women not being conscious of their gravid state until final weeks of gestation or at delivery, to reduce neonatal and maternal complications.
隐匿妊娠的病因尚未完全阐明，在当代尼日利亚社会，人们对这一现象存在误解。本文报告了撒哈拉以南非洲地区首例隐匿妊娠病例。一名19岁超重女学生于凌晨1点30分前往医务室，主诉有3天的下背部疼痛、腹部不适和便秘病史。在医务室，值班全科医生询问她是否怀孕，她坚决否认，并表示月经正常。然而，腹部检查发现子宫妊娠约36周，阴道检查显示宫颈完全扩张。她既惊讶又害怕且困惑不已，只记得几个月前曾有过无保护性行为。仅仅两小时后，她于凌晨3点14分经阴道自然分娩，产下一名活女婴。该病例强调，撒哈拉以南非洲地区的全科医生和专科医生需要了解隐匿妊娠现象，即女性直到妊娠晚期或分娩时才意识到自己怀孕，以减少新生儿和孕产妇并发症。
