The couvade syndrome.

This is a psychophysiologic reaction to a woman's pregnancy on the part of her spouse. Nausea, vomiting, cramps or appetite disturbance occur in the husband early in pregnancy or near term. Anthropologists have found that ritual couvades dates back to ancient rituals regulating the behavior of the husband of a woman in labor. The modern syndrome is usually a self-limited condition but may indicate fears and anxieties that can be relieved by the understanding approach of the family physician.