Cryptic pregnancy, by definition, is one that you don't have any awareness of. As such, there may not be any typical pregnancy symptoms like fatigue, nausea and vomiting, missed periods, or abdominal swelling. In a cryptic pregnancy, the typical signs may not be obvious or can be mistaken for something else. There are several possible causes of cryptic pregnancies. These include irregular periods, failure of birth control, and mental health challenges.

The causes of medically cryptic pregnancies are either physiological, that is, there were no recognizable symptoms of pregnancy, or can be due to psychological problems. For example, denied pregnancy is a condition in which a woman is mentally unable to accept that she is pregnant and so may go part way or all the way through a pregnancy unconscious of her pregnancy. This phenomenon is sometimes linked to other mental health diagnostic labels. However, denied pregnancy makes up only a proportion of all unknown pregnancies.

Fluctuating hormones can lead to slight bleeding that resembles a period. This line of reasoning, combined with the common causes of cryptic pregnancy, is how many people can go months without knowing they’re pregnant.

Evidence suggests that a cryptic pregnancy can last longer than a typical pregnancy, perhaps related to very low hormone levels at the start.

More Info: www.verywellhealth.com