Table of contents:
- What is tokophobia?
- Various symptoms of tokophobia
- Factors that increase a person getting tokophobia
- How to overcome fear of pregnancy and excessive childbirth
It is natural for women to feel afraid of getting pregnant and giving birth. However, if the fear is excessive and very severe you may have a condition known as tokophobia. For more details, here are the reviews.
What is tokophobia?
Tokophobia is a condition when a person has an excessive fear of getting pregnant and giving birth. The fear that is felt makes the mother not want to get pregnant and give birth.
Data from a study states that there are 20-78 percent of pregnant women who feel fear during their pregnancy or childbirth. However, only as many as 13 percent experienced excessive fear that they decided to postpone or avoid pregnancy. There are two types of tokophobia that are usually experienced, namely primary and secondary.
Primary tokophobia is a condition when fear arises in women who have never been pregnant at all. This fear usually arises after marriage or even in early adolescence. Because of this, many women have had abortions and adoptions.
Meanwhile, secondary tokophobia is a condition that actually occurs in women who have been pregnant and given birth. Usually, this condition is caused due to pregnancy and the birth of the first child which is traumatic enough to make him have excessive fear. Normal birth, miscarriage, or stillbirth are the most common causes of secondary tokophobia.
Various symptoms of tokophobia
When you experience this condition, usually a variety of symptoms that may appear such as:
- Insomnia
- Panic attack
- Often have nightmares
Usually, these symptoms will appear and be triggered when seeing pregnant people or reading, hearing, and watching things related to pregnancy and childbirth. If left unchecked, this condition will certainly greatly affect the physical and mental health of both the mother and the fetus.
In fact, there is a chance that you will end up having a long and difficult labor. The reason is, the hormone adrenaline will be released when you feel stressed. The hormone adrenaline is said to slow down uterine contractions.
Factors that increase a person getting tokophobia
All women can experience a huge fear of pregnancy and childbirth, but there are some people who are more at risk, such as:
- Have reproductive problems.
- Never heard of the experience of being pregnant and giving birth which was quite frightening.
- Have an anxiety disorder.
- Having had traumatic experiences in previous pregnancy and childbirth.
- Have been sexually abused as a child.
- Never experienced rape.
- Have depression.
How to overcome fear of pregnancy and excessive childbirth
If you have tokophobia, consult your gynecologist. Later, the doctor will help refer you to the right party for additional treatment. Wenzel, a cognitive behavioral therapist, states that overcoming phobias can only be dealt with, not avoided.
Watching videos of childbirth, hearing other women stories about their pregnancy journey, and writing down their hopes for a desired birth are alternative strategies that might be recommended. This method is done so that women who experience tokophobia can tolerate anxiety. That way, they gradually realized that the reality they were going to face was not as bad as what they had in mind.
If you are still very afraid of giving birth even when your due date is approaching, consult your doctor about the possibility of a C-section. Your doctor will help you tell you the risks and benefits of a C-section compared to a normal delivery.
In addition, your doctor and therapist will usually provide you with other additional treatments including psychotherapy and medications to help with anxiety. Hypnobirthing can also be a recommended way to help overcome your fears.
