Tokophobia is the fear of pregnancy and childbirth. The british journal of psychiatry first documented this phobia only a decade ago. When women fear pregnancy, childbirth we call it tocophobia, from the greek word tokos, meaning childbirth and phobias, meaning fear. There is increasing evidence that tocophobia has serious adverse effects on both mother and baby, which can be long term. Fear of childbirth may reduce the womens pain tolerance during labour and may have impact on the motherinfant interaction. Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report. Modern horror stories by redfed03 on february 19, 2015 for those of us suffering from a fear of pregnancy and or birth, the best, and worst thing you can do is listen to other peoples experiences. Its very common for women to feel anxious about labour and birth. Being pregnant and going through childbirth is an overwhelming time for any woman. I think i was maybe around when i realized that i actually had a fear. Women who received epidural analgesia more frequently reported fear of childbirth postpartum compared to women who did not receive epidural analgesia aor3. Tocophobia fear of pregnancy or childbirth lokiophobia, parturiphobia giving birth can be a painful process and it is said to be one of the most painful things that a woman has to go through. But with the advent of modern medicine, using epidural anesthesia has become so common that giving birth has become more painfree.
It has also been associated with adverse obstetric outcomes and postpartum mental health difficulties. The complete book of pregnancy and childbirth revised kitzinger, sheila on. Fear of childbirth foc can have a negative impact on a womans psychological wellbeing during pregnancy and her experience of birth. Women who suffer from tocophobia often feel alone in their angst.
Anxiety about becoming a mother, they are encumbered by a morbid dread, and fear, of pregnancy and the birthing process. The fear becomes paralysing and terrifying, and can become physically and emotionally disabling scollato and lampasona, 20. Secondary is morbid fear of childbirth developing after a traumatic obstetric event in a previous pregnancy. Ask any group of pregnant women their thoughts on labour and youll know that a fear around childbirth is. Charlotte arnold suffers from tokophobia a morbid fear of pregnancy and childbirth. However the foc construct is itself poorly defined.
Tocophobia is defined as an intense anxiety or fear of pregnancy and childbirth, with some women avoiding pregnancy and childbirth altogether. Tocophobia is a condition in which a person fears pregnancy or childbirth. Tocophobia is a mental condition defined as a severe fear or dread of childbirth. This may relate back to their own mothers experience or be triggered by exposure to childbirth without adequate explanation at a young age. One in 10 women suffer tocophobia fear of child birth. Tokophobia is a pathological fear of pregnancy and birth. However, the term tokophobia sometimes gets conflated with fear of childbirth. Fear of pregnancy and birth on the rise as more expectant. Elevated anxiety and fear during pregnancy holds important. A report in britains guardian newspaper blamed the rising fear of childbirth on the jump in women asking for caesarian deliveries, a phenomenon that is also seen in the united states. Explaining tokophobia, the phobia of pregnancy and childbirth. And for some women, this also includes a dislike or disgust with pregnancy. Fear of pregnancy and childbirth postgraduate medical.
Certain that i couldnt do without a birthing ball one of those. Primary tokophobia is the fear and deepseated dread of childbirth in women who have never experienced birth. The women who are afraid of pregnancy and childbirth. Fear of childbirth foc can have a negative impact on a womans psychological. A simple technique to conquer your childbirth fears quickly my pregnancy toolkit books collection einat l. While pregnancy is expected to be a time when women experience long bouts of anxiety, when they develop a fear of childbirth so intense that it disrupts their ability to lead normal lives or have a normal birth, they very likely have tokophobia.
Tokos is pregnancy and phobia or phobos means fear. Tocophobia is a severe fear of pregnancy and childbirth. Even seeing a heavily pregnant woman terrifies her, but now jessie. Tokophobia is an extreme fear of being pregnant and giving birth. Tokophobia is the fear of pregnancy or childbirth and the word is derived from greek tokos meaning childbirth and phobos which is intense fear or dread of a situationobject. If you receive appropriate care, it is certainly possible to have a positive pregnancy and birth experience if you have tocophobia. I probably had a vague idea of pregnancy and birth from national geographic animal documentaries at the time. Worries about the pain of contractions, interventions and the uncertainty of. We aimed to assess 1 the association between fear of.
A fear of pregnancy itself can result in an avoidance of pregnancy or even, as birth control. This severe fear of birth is called tokophobia which literally means a phobia of childbirth. Establishing a valid construct of fear of childbirth. Here are ways to help alleviate your fears, so that you can enjoy yours and your babys sp. While many women experience some anxieties about coping with pregnancy and the birth, tokophobia is when the fear becomes so severe that it dominates the womans life. Tokophobia a severe fear of childbirth and being pregnant. Other terms include tocophobia, teratophobia, parturiphobia, m aieusiophobia, or simply pregnancy or childbirth fear. Tocophobia is an intense anxiety or fear of pregnancy and childbirth, with some women avoiding pregnancy and child birth altogether3. I have a phobia of pregnancy life and style the guardian. The complete book of pregnancy and childbirth revised.
As childbirth educators and maternity care professionals, we may not have the training or skill set to appropriately handle and solve every challenge that faces an expectant woman. Primary tokophobes have no previous experience of pregnancy, their fear triggered by graphic stories or images in childhood and adolescence. Stories of tokophobia, the fear of giving birth the atlantic. This study aimed to systematically identify the key elements of foc as reported by women. The 24yearolds phobia was triggered by the loss of her first baby son, five weeks before he was due. But for some, even the idea of doing either is too much to bear. Ask any group of pregnant women their thoughts on labour and youll know that a fear around childbirth is understandably pretty common. Starting from adolescence, sufferers of primary tocophobia are hugely uncomfortable with the whole idea of being pregnant and giving birth. This article provides a comprehensive overview of tocophobia in the light of recent scientific evidence.
Women who have this phobia have a pathological fear of giving birth, and will often avoid becoming pregnant or giving birth altogether. Primary is morbid fear of childbirth in a woman, who has no previous experience of pregnancy. This fear may begin well before the woman has reached childbearing age, when she is a child or teenager. Tocophobia fear of pregnancy or childbirth lokiophobia. Tocophobia, or fear of childbirth, on the rise abc news. Modern horror stories tocophobia myths and realities. In some cases up to the degree of extreme anxiety and depression. But for some women, the fear of childbirth goes beyond trepidation into fullblown anxiety, panic and fear. It may have serious negative effects on pregnancy and birth outcomes.
Every pregnant woman has at least some fear of labor and childbirth, especially with their first baby. Tokophobia is rare but fear of childbirth is common the bmj. Giving birth to a child is one of the most intense experiences the body can go through, so it is understandable that many women are nervous. Growing up, i barely even played house, and my oftenrocky childhood made me even less inclined toward the risk of giving another human the same experience. It is a psychological problem and it can be tackled with counseling and medications. I saw that there were no posts about this subject so i thought i would start one. Tokophobia is an extreme and uncontrollable fear of childbirth or pregnancy. The extreme fear of childbirth, tokophobia, was first identified in 2000 by. For expectant mothers, its very normal to approach birth with a feeling of trepidation, particularly for the first baby. Tocophobia describes a fear of pregnancy and childbirth. If they arent given proper attention and treatment, might start to limit the sufferers life. Fear of pregnancy and childbirth pubmed central pmc. Tokophobia, the intense anxiety or fear of pregnancy and childbirth, as defined by the work of midwives anna rolandprice and zara chamberlain, may cause some women today to.
The dread of childbirth may start in adolescence or early adulthood. When does a rational fear of child birth become a phobia. One woman overcomes her fear of pregnancy and childbirth. This paper looks at pregnancy and the relationship with depression, eating disorders, and pathological fear of childbirth or tokophobia. This fear may lead women to avoid becoming pregnant, even though they want to have children or to opt for a caesarean section in order to avoid vaginal birth. Rise in childbirth terror disorder fuelled by social. Meet the women with tokophobia, an inexplicable, crippling. Fear of childbirth is a spectrum of fearful thoughts and feelings surrounding childbirth that exists on a continuum i. Tokophobia, defined as fear and avoidance of childbirth, is a common condition affecting 14 % of pregnant females 1, 2. The condition, which affects six to 10 per cent of women, is known as tocophobia, or tokophobia, from the greek words for childbirth, tokos, and phobos, meaning intense fear.
It may predate pregnancy and can start in adolescence or begin in pregnancy. Tokophobiaa pathological dread of giving birthmight be causing some women to avoid pregnancy. Tokophobia is a pathological fear of pregnancy and can lead to avoidance of childbirth. Fear of pregnancy and birth on the rise as more expectant mums experience tocophobia for most women having a baby is an exciting prospect, full of joy and happiness. Tokophobia coping with an intense fear of childbirth. Tokophobia is where women have an extreme fear of pregnancy that can lead to them avoiding childbirth altogether. Tokophobia also spelled tocophobia is the fear of pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding. An estimated one in ten women who are childfree have avoided pregnancy. Other names for this fear are tocophobia, enfantaphobia, maieusiophobia or parturiphobia. But for some women, the fear is pathological and can be so extreme that they avoid becoming pregnant.
Tocophobia tokophobia could be a debilitating condition. Primary tokophobia occurs in a first time mother, who has no experience of being pregnant or has not given birth before. Journal of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology, 23 4, 229235. Explaining tokophobia, the phobia of pregnancy and childbirth the. However, when a psychiatric disorder is added to or exacerbated by the pregnancy then the problem requires expert knowledge from more than one area of medicine.
This study published in clinical obstetrics and gynecology, 2004 47. Swedish researchers explored the phenomenon of anxiety and fear in childless women as well as in those with children. Tokophobia is a pathological fear of pregnancy so severe that it can impact a womans decision to have children. Known as tokophobia, this phobia of childbirth affects somewhere between 3.
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