[Metrorrhagia during the third trimester disclosing Munchausen syndrome].
Metrorrhagia during the third trimester of pregnancy similar to that observed in placenta praevia may be a signal to the physician that the patient is calling for help. This clinical situation is one where the patient mimics an illness, playing the role of a patient. The risk is that an unnecessary surgical procedure may be triggered, in this case cesarean section. The main difficulty in caring for these patients is to make the diagnosis. Treatment relies on psychotherapy which can contribute to an improved mother-infant relationship and perhaps prevent acts of self-mutilsation.
Benassoulli
P
P
Psychiatre, St-Cyr, France.
Philippe
H J
HJ
D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications; D015984:Causality; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008796:Metrorrhagia / Q000209:etiology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009110:Munchausen Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology; D010923:Placenta Previa / Q000175:diagnosis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000209:etiology*; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011613:Psychotherapy