When surveyed three and six months postpartum, fathers who showed larger prenatal declines reported contributing more to both household chores and infant care, which their partners confirmed when asked separately. "Hormonal changes seem to come first, which then predicts greater investment [in postpartum care]," says Edelstein.
That's why hormonal shifts may account for some Couvade symptoms, says Edelstein. Lower levels of both testosterone and oestradiol, for instance, are associated with weight gain in men, while the latter has been linked to depression. What triggers these changes in the first place, however, remains unknown.
This aligns with numerous neurological studies demonstrating that parents' brains change after the birth of a child. A 2024 study, for instance, found that the volume of grey matter shrinks in fathers postpartum, as it does in mothers, as a form of synaptic pruning, enhancing brain areas relevant to reading an infant's cues, bonding and caregiving. Men with larger reductions reported spending more time with their newborns and experiencing greater feelings of bonding, reflecting successful adaptation to parenthood.
Given all the elements at play, Singley rejects the common notion that Couvade is simply a mirroring, whether conscious or subconscious, of the pregnant partner's symptoms. "It's a pretty old-school way of looking at the parenting experience," says Singley. The partner, he says, "is going through a variety of different psychological, social, neuro, endocrine and interpersonal adjustments as well because he's his own person".
For expectant fathers, it may be harder to accept though given the societal expectations of how men should behave. "Guys may think: 'I'm a dude, I can't be depressed - no, that's weak. I'm a dad - I have to be on point and provide for my family," says Singley. Instead, he argues, we should make it okay for them to say, "I can have migraine; I can have muscle tension; I can have gastrointestinal issues. I can feel like there's this weight on me."