Often described as a light and entertaining comedy, this aging film emerges as a clever farce with pointed barbs. The preposterous scenario affords multiple small plays on gender stereotypes as a social commentary of its era--a period piece. But it also serves as a gentle satire on medical science and media-seeking physicians, duped by their own grandiosity – an occupational hazard that is timeless.

The story is reminiscent of the eighteenth-century Mary Tofts who convinced prominent physicians that she had birthed a litter of bunnies. However, unlike Tofts, Marco and Irène are guileless, affectionate, and disarmingly accepting. They are drawn into the “diagnosis” by the confidence of the professionals who pontificate and revel in novelty of male pregancy. A prescient nod to concerns over additive hormones in food, air, and water, provides an articulate physiological explanation for why more male pregnancies can be expected in the future.

Filmed in rich 1970s colours with director Jacques Demy’s favorite star (Deneuve), its simple structure and direct story line evoke his (and her) more famous film the ‘Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ (Cannes winner, 1964). But this tale offers greater and more useful challenges for students and practitioners of medicine.