Abstract

Tokophobia, or the fear of pregnancy and childbirth, is the suggested name for a form of specific phobia. It is also known as "maleusiophobia" (though this is certainly a variant of "maieusiophobia", from the Greek "maieusis", literally meaning "delivery of a woman in childbirth" but referring generally to midwifery), "parturiphobia" (from Latin "" meaning "to be pregnant", and "lockiophobia".

Psychological disorder

In 2000, an article published in the "British Journal of Psychiatry" (2000, 176: 83-85) described the fear of childbirth as a psychological disorder that has received little attention and may be overlooked. The article introduced the term tokophobia in the medical literature (from the Greek "tokos", meaning childbirth and "phobos", meaning fear).

Phobia of pregnancy and childbirth, as with any phobia, can manifest through a number of symptoms including nightmares, difficulty in concentrating on work or on family activities, panic attacks and psychosomatic complaints. Often the fear of childbirth motivates a request for an elective caesarean section. Fear of labor pain is strongly associated with the fear of pain in general; a previous complicated childbirth, or inadequate pain relief, may cause the phobia to develop. A fear of pregnancy itself can result in an avoidance of pregnancy or even, as birth control methods are never 100% effective, an avoidance of sexual intercourse or asking for hysterectomy.

Tokophobia is a distressing psychological disorder which may be overlooked by medical professionals; as well as specific phobia and anxiety disorders, tokophobia may be associated with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Recognition of tokophobia and close liaison with obstetricians or other medical specialists can help to reduce its severity and ensure efficient treatment.

Psychological disorder | Primary and secondary tokophobia

Reasons for tokophobia may be complex. Women may fear for the infant's life, fear the unknown and the uncertainty of the labour and birth process. Women may lack trust in obstetric services or fear being left alone in labour.