Male pregnancy is common in some marine species, but not in humans due to extreme medical risks. Transgender people can become pregnant if their reproductive organs are intact. Sympathetic pregnancy, where a man experiences pregnancy symptoms, is a common phenomenon. Male breastfeeding is possible in individuals with medical disorders involving prolactin. Female-to-male transgender people can legally give birth while living as men. Fetus in fetu is a parasitic twin that was encapsulated within the body before birth. Men with Couvade syndrome experience pregnancy symptoms.
In some marine life species, male pregnancy is common. The male incubates and gives birth while living young instead of the female. Human males are unable to do this, and the medical risks of a male pregnancy are extreme. Transgender people can become pregnant if the reproductive organs are left intact. A common phenomenon is sympathetic pregnancy, in which a man shows all the symptoms of pregnancy together with his expectant partner.
Seahorses and pipefish are famous for male pregnancy. After a courtship display with their monogamous mates, the female lays her eggs in a pouch on the male’s abdomen. The eggs are fertilized and remain in the pouch until the babies are fully developed. Newborn seahorses look like miniature adults and are completely independent at birth.
Men could theoretically sustain an intra-abdominal pregnancy, but the medical risk is high. The placenta attaches itself to organs and cannot be removed or separated, leading to infection, bleeding or death. The hormones used to support the pregnancy would likely cause serious side effects in both the father and the baby.
While male pregnancy is unlikely, men may be able to feed the babies. Male breastfeeding is seen in individuals with medical disorders involving prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production. Some heart medications have caused lactation, and pituitary tumors can also produce this side effect.
Female-to-male transgender people became pregnant and gave birth while legally living as men. This is possible if the female reproductive organs are intact and hormone treatment is stopped. US resident Thomas Beatie, whose wife Nancy is infertile, is perhaps the best known. The Blesseds have three children conceived with donated sperm that Thomas gestated. Researchers are working on developing a male egg cell from stem cells that would allow gay male couples to produce a child genetically their own, using a pregnancy surrogate.
The fetus in fetu is not strictly a male pregnancy, but instead a parasitic twin that was encapsulated within the body before birth. When the separation of an egg into identical twins goes awry, conjoined twins will result or one twin will be absorbed by the other. The nonviable mass can appear anywhere on the body, causing pain and serious problems if it grows. Most cases of fetus in fetus are found when the child is still very young.
While many men say they would carry a baby for their partner if they could, men with Couvade syndrome, known as sympathetic pregnancy, feel they really are. They gain weight, feel irritable, and suffer from nausea and insomnia along with their pregnant partners. Pain may be felt when actual labor begins. A psychological explanation that most researchers prefer is that men feel left out during their partners’ pregnancies or wish to spare them some of the discomfort.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
