• DOI:10.1556/JEP.9.2011.4.3
• Corpus ID: 73581571

A preliminary investigation of synchronous pregnancies in women

@article{Worth2011API,
  title={A preliminary investigation of synchronous pregnancies in women},
  author={Kerry Worth and Maryanne L. Fisher},
  journal={Journal of Evolutionary Psychology},
  year={2011},
  volume={9},
  pages={309-326}
}

• K. Worth, M. Fisher
• Published 22 December 2011
• Psychology
• Journal of Evolutionary Psychology

Abstract Menstrual synchrony is when the menstrual cycles of friends or family members coincide, such that women conform to the same cycle. In this paper, we propose for the existence of synchronous pregnancies, which may be analogous to menstrual synchrony. Menstrual synchrony is a well studied topic, whereas synchronous pregnancies among friends or family members is an overlooked area of investigation. In this exploratory study of 81 pregnant women, we hypothesize that women's pregnancies are synchronized with those of friends or family members. We also examine whether women intentionally plan their pregnancies in accordance with these individuals. Finally, we investigate the sharing of resources among women who have simultaneous pregnancies. Our findings suggest that the pregnancies of women are more synchronized with friends than family members, and often the synchronicity is unplanned. The majority of women indicated that they intend to share resources (including parenting) with others who are pregna...