Fathers Found to Be Sharing Pregnancy Ills

A report in the current issue of Nursing Research indicates men with pregnant mates suffer many of the same symptoms their mates do.

The study reported showed 87% of the 91 expectant fathers surveyed suffered at least one of the following symptoms while their wives were pregnant: nausea and vomiting, weight gain, food cravings, increased appetite, loss of appetite, toothaches and other aches and pains.

One of the study participants reported a total of 17 symptoms. On the whole, fathers-to-be who were anxious suffered from more symptoms.

The study also revealed that black expectant fathers consistently reported more symptoms than the white participants. Also experiencing more of the symptoms were working-class men and those who reported that the pregnancy was not planned.

White expectant fathers reported an increase in bodily symptoms as the pregnancy progressed and for second-time fathers, the report said their previous experience was “not an important factor in explaining the occurrence of paternal symptoms during pregnancy.”