Weeks and Trimesters Print Sympathetic Pregnancy Symptoms in Dads Medically reviewed by facebook linkedin instagram Medically reviewed by Anita Sadaty, MD on January 09, 2017 Anita Sadaty, MD, is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist at North Shore University Hospital and founder of Redefining Health Medical. Learn about our Medical Review Board Anita Sadaty, MD Written by twitter linkedin Written by Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH is a professor, author, childbirth and postpartum educator, certified doula, and lactation counselor. Learn about our editorial policy Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH Updated on July 28, 2019 Your Pregnancy Week by Week Overview First Trimester Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Second Trimester Week 14 Week 15 Week 16 Week 17 Week 18 Week 19 Week 20 Week 21 Week 22 Week 23 Week 24 Week 25 Week 26 Week 27 Third Trimester Week 28 Week 29 Week 30 Week 31 Week 32 Week 33 Week 34 Week 35 Week 36 Week 37 Week 38 Week 39 Week 40 Image Source/Getty Images Dads, have you ever noticed that you were gaining weight along with your partner's pregnancy? Do you find yourself feeling queasy at certain times of the day? Have you experienced appetite changes? Have you noticed an increase in the amount of flatulence you experience? Then you may be experiencing sympathetic pregnancy symptoms, also known as Couvade Syndrome. Couvade Syndrome Couvade comes from the French word couvee meaning "to hatch." It has come to mean a man having a "sympathetic pregnancy." Yes, this means that your partner could start to vomit, gain weight, and have many of the "joys" associated with pregnancy. Generally, sympathetic pregnancy symptoms begin at the end of the first trimester and increases in severity until the third trimester. The only known cure for couvade is to birth. Doubting the Dads Some people have doubted the reality of couvade syndrome. These doubters say that the weight gain that the father may experience is caused by the eating habits of the mother, nerves, or other changes that pregnancy makes in one's life. The vomiting? Of course, that is blamed on nerves, too. What do the dads have to say about this? They don't know what to think about vomiting, weight gain, and changes in sexual appetite. How can you tell everyone at work that you need to lie down because you have morning sickness? And, of course, they would stop vomiting if they could. The Research on Sympathetic Pregnancy This is something that has been researched and found to be quite real. Some men are more susceptible to couvade than others. For instance, if you and your partner have experienced infertility or if you were adopted, you could be more likely to experience couvade syndrome. There is no research going on at this point with same-sex partners, but that could change in the future. The truth is we probably won't see a lot of research on this general topic for a variety of reasons including that it is not taken seriously by many people. Sometimes the partners who are experiencing this don't even notice; they assume it's just normal or they think that it is not related to pregnancy at all. (How long can you have the flu?) So, people, know that you are not alone and that you have the medical community backing you up. Eat some crackers, get out of bed slowly, drink some ginger tea, and try to get a bit of rest and know that birth is right around the corner. Don't let anyone laugh at you when you say you're gaining weight and maybe get some new clothes because you've outgrown the others. Realistically, all you can is to treat the symptoms with the help of your own practitioner. This can be helpful for some people. Many people will feel better as the pregnancy progresses, which is often a welcome relief for people at any point. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial policy to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Kazmierczak M, Kielbratowska B, Pastwa-Wojciechowska B. Couvade syndrome among Polish expectant fathers. Med Sci Monit. 2013 Feb 21;19:132-8. doi: 10.12659/MSM.883791. Holditch-Davis D, Black BP, Harris BG, Sandelowski M, Edwards L. Beyond couvade: pregnancy symptoms in couples with a history of infertility. Health Care Women Int. 1994 Nov-Dec;15(6):537-48. Continue Reading