For centuries, documentation has existed of a syndrome of empathetic response to the stress, pain or sensations of others. Even the journals of explorer Marco Polo discuss this phenomenon. In its simplest manifestations, we have all experienced some slight physical response, even pain, when we witness a friend hit his finger with a hammer or hear someone relate a tragic incident. Studies have actually measured stress responses and hormonal changes in research participants as they watch videos of traumatic events. People who care for pregnant women have observed husbands and partners experience a range of pains and discomforts similar to those experienced by the pregnant and laboring woman.
Nursing literature is full of such studies.
He may actually vocalize feelings of pain and anxiety at the same time the mother is giving birth. In my practice, I have seen fathers gain the same amount of weight as their partners, experience nausea and constipation and even develop hemorrhoids. The researchers found that men's testosterone production leveled off significantly in the three weeks preceding the delivery of their child, then increased markedly after the birth. This is, however, the first time that such alteration in hormone levels has been well documented. Further study is needed to see if a similar response occurs in non-biological fathers.