Health
Fake pregnancy: Women abusing steroids risk breast cancer, say gynaecologists
Women abusing steroids to look pregnant are at increased risk of complications like high blood pressure, blood clots, liver problems, ovarian and breast cancers, and stroke, gynaecologists have said.
The physicians stressed that misuse of steroids or other hormonal medications to simulate pregnancy is extremely dangerous, and women should never go for such an option.
The maternal health experts explained that such measures delay women who engage in such practices from seeking proper medical evaluations and could expose them to serious health risks.
PUNCH Healthwise reports that former Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Julie Okah-Donli, alleged that some women fake pregnancies using steroids and later obtain babies to deceive their husbands into believing they gave birth.
Okah-Donli linked the practice to those involved in fake pregnancy syndicates and baby trafficking in Nigeria, adding that women involved in the practice are injected with steroids that make them appear heavily pregnant.
“They are injected with steroids. So when they inject them with these steroids, it gives them the semblance of a pregnant woman. Their faces are bloated up, and their tummies are actually very big. They look pregnant, but they are not pregnant,” she said.
She claimed the women also imitate pregnancy symptoms, including morning sickness, vomiting, and spitting, especially in the presence of their husbands.
Okah-Donli further alleged that the women often arrange for the supposed childbirth to take place while their husbands are away or send them on errands before presenting them with a baby upon their return.
She also claimed that some women undergo fake surgical procedures to make it appear they delivered through caesarean section.
Speaking exclusively to PUNCH Healthwise, the President of the Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health, Prof. Preye Fiebai, cautioned women against the misuse of hormonal steroids to mimic pregnancy.
“While some drugs may cause weight gain, abdominal enlargement, or breast changes, they do not produce a real pregnancy and may cause significant harm,” he said.
The expert listed the short-term health implications to include high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, and increased risk of diabetes mellitus, fluid retention, and swelling of the trunk and extremities.
Others, he said, are mood disturbances, anxiety, depression, or psychosis, liver dysfunction, increased susceptibility to infections, menstrual irregularities, and abnormal vaginal bleeding.
“Long-term health implications include permanent disruption of the hormonal system, infertility or worsening of existing infertility, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke, chronic liver disease, and kidney damage resulting in renal failure.
“They are also at increased risk of certain hormone-sensitive cancers, depending on the medications used. Breast cancer is of particular concern.
“Beyond the physical effects, many women experience profound emotional distress, shame, and psychological trauma when the deception is eventually uncovered. Such practices also delay proper medical evaluation and treatment of the underlying infertility,” he said.
Fiebai said rather than using options injurious to their health, women should prioritise their safety and legal options to have their own babies.
According to him, using illegal or medically risky paths to have babies often leads to greater health complications, financial loss, or legal trouble, without guaranteeing a healthy baby.
“Subfertility is a medical condition, not a personal failure or punishment. It affects millions of couples worldwide and, in many cases, effective treatments are available. My advice for them is to seek help early from qualified fertility specialists and avoid unregulated treatments or fraudulent practices,” he said.
The consultant gynaecologist urged women and couples to seek medical evaluation early, especially after one year of regular unprotected intercourse or after six months if the woman is over 35 years.
He explained that both partners should be evaluated medically since male factors contribute to infertility in about 40–50% of cases.
Fiebai, however, urged women to avoid self-medication, hormone abuse, and unlicensed practitioners, miracle cures, or promises of guaranteed pregnancy.
“No desire for motherhood should come at the cost of one’s health or life. Preserving health is essential because it increases the opportunity to benefit from legitimate fertility treatments,” he said.
The maternal health expert described child adoption as a “noble” pathway for couples, rather than the women resorting to the abuse of steroids that can put their health at risk.
“Adoption is a noble and life-changing pathway that provides vulnerable children with stable, loving families while also offering hope to couples and individuals who are unable to have biological children,” he said.
Fiebai, however, urged governments and stakeholders to remove barriers in the adoption process that create avoidable hardship for prospective adoptive parents and children in need of permanent homes.
He recommended harmonising adoption laws and procedures across states, reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, financial barriers, and improving transparency and accountability to prevent corruption, exploitation, and illegal child trafficking.
Also speaking, the Second Vice President of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria, Prof Christopher Aimakhu, described abuse of steroids to mimic pregnancy as a “medical fraud”.
According to him, it is often associated with illegal baby trafficking syndicates, where they want to traffic babies.
“Women use it to induce changes that will mimic pregnancy. So, it’s a scam. Women are given drugs to create false signs of pregnancy, especially out of desperation. Women are given unregulated drugs or pills containing high levels of hormones, most times oestrogen and progesterone,” he said.
He said the drugs cause bloating, facial swelling, and the women miss their menses, while later having some pregnancy symptoms.
“When this is done, the people who actually administer these drugs to these patients tell them that they shouldn’t go near hospitals where medical tests can be done or ultrasounds performed. They insist that they will take care of them totally. It is a scam, and it’s actually criminal,” he said.
For women who are fertility challenged, Aimakhu urged them to seek proper medical counselling and treatment.
“Women should do the proper thing. Why do you want to go to one quack who is going to give you drugs? Some people are so desperate that they want to have a child, so they do anything.
“So if a woman is actually infertile and she’s looking for a baby, she should seek proper medical care. Go to a proper hospital. Get evaluated.
“What are your chances of getting pregnant? Do your tests. If natural conception can happen, fine. If you are not against assisted conception like IVF, and they say you qualify for it, try to see if you can get pregnant. That’s my own advice,” the gynaecologist said.
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