A WNBA star only discovered she was pregnant nearly 6 months along because she had 'none of the normal signs'

• WNBA player Ruthy Hebard didn't discover she was pregnant with her now-son until 5 to 6 months in.
• The Chicago Sky forward said she had "none of the normal signs" of pregnancy in a video for Togethxr.

Ruthy Hebard is heading into her fourth WNBA season with a brand-new title on her resumé: Mom.

The 25-year-old Chicago Sky forward was already "five to six months along" when she discovered she was pregnant with her first child during the WNBA offseason, she said in a video feature for media company Togethxr. Medically, not realizing you're pregnant is known as a cryptic pregnancy.

In the video, Hebard explained that she had none of the signs she expected during the first half of her pregnancy.

"I was playing 30 to 35 minutes a game, and I was like 'Okay, I feel like I'm getting bigger, and I probably shouldn't be getting bigger if I'm working out all game, every game and working out,'" Hebard recalled.

But, she added, "there was no morning sickness, no cravings, none of the normal signs."

At the time, Hebard was playing overseas — common among American professional women's basketball players — for Hungarian club KSC Szekszárd. Even though she knew her body "shouldn't be changing" the way it was through regular high-level training and competition, the 6-foot-4 former Oregon Ducks star said she "pushed that to the back of my mind" after her initial pregnancy test came back negative.

Only once Hebard returned home from Central Europe did she learn she was well on her way to becoming a mother.

"I went to the doctor and found out that I was pretty far along," she said. "More far along than I thought I would be."

She noted that she didn't start to obviously show until late in her pregnancy.

Just three to four months after learning that she was pregnant, Hebard gave birth to her 8-pound, 9-ounce son, Xzavier Reid. Less than three weeks later, she reported to the first day of Chicago Sky training camp with Xzavier in tow.

Her message to him directly was a simple one: "Even though you're a surprise, you're a great surprise."

Some people are more susceptible to so-called 'cryptic pregnancies'

So-called "cryptic pregnancies" — or not realizing you're pregnant — are uncommon but far from unheard of, affecting about 1 in 475 pregnancies ahead of 20 weeks gestation, or about the five-month mark, according to the Cleveland Clinic, About 1 in 2,500 pregnancies aren't revealed until labor, the clinic says.

Dr. Stephanie Ros, an OB-GYN at the University of South Florida, told Insider women who already have irregular periods are among those more likely to miss the early signs. Irregular, infrequent, or absent periods can be common (though not necessarily healthy) among female athletes, though it's unclear whether this was Hebard's experience.

"In the US so many pregnancies are unplanned, and this late recognition of pregnancy is one of the many arguments against the various laws that prohibit abortion after a certain gestational age," Ros said.

Plenty of people like Hebard also just get lucky when it comes to pregnancy symptoms, and mild changes like breast growth, bloating, and constipation can be written off as something else, Ros said. Plus, she added, women with long torsos — Hebard is 6-foot-4 — can easily conceal a pregnancy, even from themselves.

The major risk of a cryptic pregnancy is missing out on prenatal care, which research shows can improve birth outcomes, and a lack of awareness to avoid substances that can be harmful to fetal development, like alcohol and some foods.

Dr. Nicole Rankins, an OB-GYN in Virginia, told Insider that Hebard and Xzavier likely both benefited from Hebard's career as an athlete.

"Moving your body during pregnancy is important and has benefits including reducing pain, and it may decrease your risk of complications like gestational diabetes or preeclampsia," she said.

Check out Hebard's full story, courtesy of Togethxr, below: