Weeks and Trimesters Sympathetic Pregnancy Symptoms in Dads By Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH LinkedIn Twitter Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH is a professor, author, childbirth and postpartum educator, certified doula, and lactation counselor. Learn about our editorial process Updated on June 14, 2021 Medically reviewed by Alyssa Dweck, MD Medically reviewed by Alyssa Dweck, MD LinkedIn Alyssa Dweck, MD, MS, is a board-certified gynecologist and an assistant clinical professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She provides care to women of all ages, and she has delivered thousands of babies. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print 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. 2 Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Mrayan L, Abujilban S, Abuidhail J, Bani Yassein M, Al-Modallal H. Couvade syndrome among Jordanian expectant fathers. Am J Mens Health. 2019;13(1):1557988318810243. doi:10.1177/1557988318810243 Holditch‐Davis D, Black BP, Harris BG, Sandelowski M, Edwards L. Beyond couvade: Pregnancy symptoms in couples with a history of infertility. Health Care for Women International. 1994;15(6):537-548. doi:10.1080/07399339409516145 Additional Reading 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. PMID:23425940. By Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH is a professor, author, childbirth and postpartum educator, certified doula, and lactation counselor. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit