How to get rid from Tokophobia: fear of pregnancy

Tokophobia is not familiar to general public but it is experienced by pregnant women who sometimes do not express their inner feeling to their family members. In psychological language, Tokophobia denotes to an extreme and irrational fear of pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnant women are highly scared and nervous about child birth because it changes their body as well as lifestyle. But for the women who suffer from tokophobia, the nervousness surrounding labour can be enfeebling.

Primary tokophobia may have its beginning in adolescence, affecting female up to such an extent that some women never bear a child. This terror has led women to avoid pregnancy for fear of dying, despite their desire to have children. Many of these are never relieved by this fear.

Secondary tokophobia may be linked with past traumatic birth experience like stillbirth, termination of pregnancy, and an obstetric event such as unexplained stillbirth or delivery of a malformed child.

Major symptoms of Tokophobia:

It is well documented in psychological studies that if women suffering from Tokophobia are not given medical attention, the condition of woman becomes more intense and detrimental. Tokophobia may lead to emotional and behavioural disorders such as clinical depression. Some of the indicators of tokophobia are as under:

-       Feelings of dismay or panic when women think of childbirth or pregnancy.

-       Sometimes refusing to go through with childbirth.

-       An intense increase in anxiety or depression while pregnant.

-       Though woman express a strong desire to have children while also refusing to become pregnant.

-       Previous terminations of seemingly healthy pregnancies.

-       Penetrating fear that childbirth will result in maternal death, stillbirth, miscarriage or birth defects.

Common Facts About Tokophobia:

It is generally observed that women who are griped under tokophobia will likely to refuse give birth to baby unless some kind of sedative is prescribed by gynaecologist or a Caesarean section. Some females will avoid to become pregnant, in spite of having stern desire to have children.

As with other phobias, there is no common and specific cause of tokophobia. Somewhat, there are several factors that raise anxiety in women that include an earlier traumatic childbirth experience, fear of severe labour pain, or even childhood sexual abuse or rape.

Treatment of Tokophobia:

Treatment of tokophobia lies in the hands of people surround female. She can seek support from people who sincerely care and cooperate when female visits to a psychiatrist. Mental health professional must explore the primary grounds of developing tokophobia.  .

To encapsulate, tokophobia develops in pregnant women due to anxiety of childbirth and other related issues.  Tokophobia is a pathological fear of pregnancy. Sometimes, it is so severe that it can impact a woman's decision to have children. Such feelings are experienced by female due to hearing negative incidents, watching programmes portraying severe labour pain, shocking birth experiences, as well as miscarriages.


Important: This article is developed through environmental information and personal view of writer. Writer is not responsible for any disagreement.