Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer
3K
3K
740
3K
Menu
Menu
static-img
Fear of Pregnancy -Tokophobia
Body Phobias

Fear of Pregnancy Phobia – Tokophobia

Share This Article
Share Post

Fear of Pregnancy Phobia, or Tokophobia

Do you wake up in the middle of the night after a romantic or intimate encounter filled with fear that you’ll get pregnant?

Are you terrified by the thought of childbirth? Do you like kids but dread the idea of carrying a baby in your womb for nine months? Is it the pain, fear of complications or that you will not do all that is needed to deliver a healthy baby?

Yes! But wait. Is it normal to be afraid of pregnancy?

While most first-time mothers are concerned about birthing pains, complications ect, but if your fear has reached unreasonable levels it may be time to look into if you suffer from tokophobia. You may feel ashamed by this since society expects that women will want to have children.

You simply can’t imagine yourself pregnant, much less in labor. The mere idea of pregnancy can cause you to break into a cold sweat or cause unmanageable fear.

The indications may point towards tokophobia. But don’t worry. The first step to overcoming this irrational fear of pregnancy is to understand where it comes from.

 

Fear of Pregnancy -Tokophobia

What Is Tokophobia?

The fear of pregnancy is known as tokophobia. It is derived from the Greek term tokos, meaning “childbirth,” and phobos, which means “an intense fear of an object or a situation.” Other names by which tokophobia is known are tocophobia, enfantaphobia, maieusiophobia, and parturiphobia.

It’s unclear how common tokophobia is. While some studies state that nearly 7 percent of women worldwide suffer from this phobia, other studies indicate that as many as 25 percent of women suffer from intense terror surrounding childbirth.

This fear could keep women from having biological children. Some with tokophobia might even break into tears if they come near a pregnant woman or hear the word “pregnancy.” These are extremes but quite possible.

What Causes Tokophobia?

Tokophobia is classified into two categories. Read on to learn which category your fear might fall under.

Primary Tokophobia

Primary tokophobia usually manifests in women who have never given birth. This condition often starts during adolescence. However, it may also begin in women during pregnancy.

Women who have a history of sexual abuse or trauma, miscarriage, abortion, termination of pregnancy, or complications related to childbirth are at a higher risk of developing primary tokophobia. For such women, undergoing medical tests during the process of childbirth or pregnancy may provoke unpleasant memories.

Secondary Tokophobia

Secondary tokophobia develops in females who have already given birth, especially if the process was traumatic. These include those who have miscarried, gone through an abortion, or experienced a stillbirth. Unsuccessful fertility treatments can also trigger this phobia. Secondary tokophobia can also manifest in women who have had normal or healthy pregnancies.

Other Causes of Tokophobia

There are many factors that can trigger tokophobia. Often times a combination of events contribute to the development of the fear. Here are more possible causes not mentioned above:

  • Fear for the life of the unborn child
  • Lack of trust in the healthcare system or doctors
  • Fear of pregnancy-related issues and complications
  • Hormonal changes
  • Fear of the unknown
  • Fear of undergoing extreme pain during childbirth
  • Worry over the process of pregnancy and childbirth
  • Hearing traumatic stories of pregnancy from friends and family
  • A lack of social support
  • Getting pregnant at a young age

Symptoms of Tokophobia

Women who are scared of being pregnant or those who have pregnancy anxiety are often perceived to be overreacting or melodramatic. As a result, those who suffer from tokophobia feel they cannot discuss their worries or symptoms with others, further causing isolation and depression.

Some women with tokophobia may choose to terminate their pregnancy because of their uncontrollable terror of giving birth.

Are you or someone you know scared of giving birth? Let’s take a closer look at tokophobia symptoms.

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

  • Panic attacks
  • Heightened anxiety
  • Nightmares related to pregnancy and childbirth
  • Experiencing thoughts of death

Physical Symptoms

  • Fast breathing
  • Increase in heart rate
  • Excessive sweating
  • Shivering or trembling in fear
  • Crying
  • Feeling hysterical
  • Vomiting
  • Nausea at the thought of something growing inside one’s body

Not all those who have tokophobia experience all the symptoms listed here. While some women may only experience mild symptoms, others may show more intense signs of their fear. Some women don’t realize they have this phobia until they become pregnant.

If you’re wondering if you might have tokophobia, consult a medical professional.

Self-Help Techniques for Tokophobia

If your symptoms are mild, you may be able to overcome your fear of getting pregnant with a little self-care. Here are some of the steps you can take to help you manage your tokophobia.

Share Your Worries

Discuss your anxieties with friends and family members who you believe can understand your fears. Knowing there are others who support you can reduce your anxiety surrounding pregnancy and childbirth.

Avoid Scary Pregnancy Stories

Sure you need to be aware of what happens during pregnancy and childbirth. However, you can get that information without having to deal with the emotional load of pregnancy horror stories.

Are you a first-time mother? As much as possible, skip the unpleasant stories regarding childbirth. If people continue sharing their negative experiences, ask them to stop. You don’t have to listen to these stories if they make you feel uncomfortable.

Take Prenatal Classes

If you want to become pregnant in the future but are being held back by your tokophobia, try joining a prenatal class. Here, you’ll learn all that happens during pregnancy. These classes teach about the changes the body undergoes and how you can manage pain better during labor.

Better yet, attend this class with your spouse or close friend. This way, they can give you support and advice that’s based on facts, not just hearsay. Some participants discover a ready-made community of fellow mothers during these prenatal classes. These friendships can last even after the classes have ended and everyone has given birth.

Getting Professional Help for Tokophobia

If the self-help techniques aren’t working, seek professional help. This can be in the form of one-on-one support provided by midwives, psychologists, counselors, or obstetricians. A mental health specialist might be in a better position to help you overcome your fear, especially if it starts to interfere with daily activities. They can help you discover how your fear developed in the first place.

One of the most common interventions is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Under CBT, your therapist works with you to desensitize you to your phobia. You’ll learn new ways of coping with your fear. This technique is also used to help people overcome extreme anxiety and depression.

How to Avoid Tokophobia Altogether

It might not be possible to avoid tokophobia altogether. The best that you can do is change the subject when someone starts talking about pregnancy. You may even choose to stay away from those who are planning to become pregnant or are currently pregnant.

However, you might miss out on having a family of your own because of this obsessive fear of pregnancy. If you’re in a relationship, it’s important to discuss your fear of giving birth with your spouse or romantic partner.

If you want to become pregnant in the future but are being held back by tokophobia, seek professional help immediately. It’s time to get input on how to manage your fears surrounding childbirth.

Conclusion

Like other phobias, tokophobia is not forever. With the right help and treatment, you can overcome your fear and go on to lead a normal, healthy life. Eventually, you’ll even find yourself happily anticipating the pitter-patter of tiny feet into your heart and into your home.

FearAZ.com is looking for personal stories of any 'fear of' or phobia. If you have an interesting story you'd like to share, we welcome your submission. If the story fits with our content and guidelines, we'll add it to our site.
0LikesShare Post

Your Fear Goes Up and Down

Are you someone who would rather climb the stairs than take the elevator? You call it squeezing in a workout after being sedentary the whole morning. Or perhaps you claim it's a faster route. These are both typical, normal, and acceptable reasons. But what if you need to be in the conference room on the eleventh floor in five minutes, and you're wearing your business suit and wingtips? Would you still prefer to take the stairs? If your answer is yes, then maybe it's time to take a closer look at your reasons for avoiding elevators. Elevators stir all sorts of emotions in passengers. From the discomfort of closeness to strangers to the sensations in our gut, elevators can be a source of the heebie-jeebies for many, but for some, they can also be a source of terror. Let's dig a little deeper into the latter, and see what this terror is all about and what can be done to manage it. To begin with, does being inside an elevator give you chills or the sweats? Or does it trigger an unpleasant memory? Perhaps you remember movies you've watched where something terrible happens inside an elevator. From Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Final Destination 2, or the king of all elevator horror films, 2010’s Devil, the elevator becomes witness to something sinister and horrible. And you want nothing to do with any of it. You know that you're not claustrophobic. You can deal with heights just fine, too. And you know that you're not going to be trapped inside. All of these contribute to a fear of elevators—but they don't apply to you. Yet being inside one does something to you. It's hard to explain.

What is the Fear of Elevators Called?

What you have is a fear of elevators, which is called elevatophobia. It is most commonly triggered by an experience of getting stuck inside either due to a power outage or technical maintenance. Hearing about other people's experiences or watching a movie about similar circumstances can prompt a fear of elevators getting stuck with you inside. Usually, claustrophobics and agoraphobics may also develop elevatophobia because the triggers and objects of these fears are related. Claustrophobia is the fear of closed and cramped spaces, while agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped without any means of escape. Put the two together, and the elevator becomes the perfect combination of both phobias. The space is limited and closed, with only one means of entry and exit. You can add another point of access if you consider climbing the cables like they do in the movies, but that certainly isn't ideal.

Symptoms of Elevatophobia

If for some reason an elevator stops due to an outage or some technical difficulty, passengers with elevatophobia may go into full panic mode. Even if the maintenance team advises that it will just be a matter of minutes, by then, the person's mind has become irrational with the fear of the elevator falling, being stuck for hours, or other unpleasant thoughts. You would expect a person to exhibit the following physical symptoms: Additionally, you would be filled with that overwhelming anxiety where you feel that you have zero control over the situation. You start fearing the unknown and are filled with negative thoughts about death and imminent doom. You become irrational and unresponsive.

Possible Complications of Elevatophobia

When the panic sets in, the possibility of emergencies related to pre-existing conditions may make themselves known. This might include serious health crises like heart attacks or asthma attacks. When this happens, fear becomes a medical emergency. Elevator rides do not last long; it's just a matter of minutes or even less. But the fact that a person can escalate from panic to a near fatal medical situation classifies the fear of elevators as a 'hard phobia.'

Trying Some Self-Help Methods

Your fear of elevators can likely interfere with your social and work life and relationships. Not everyone understands that elevatophobia, like most phobias, can be crippling. But don't be disheartened. Depending on the level of your fear and level of control, you can gradually face and manage your phobia. Here are some recommendations you can try:
  1. Make a List of Everything that Entails Riding in an Elevator This is a systematic approach to getting over your anxiety. By following a step-by-step process, you can identify where the fear kicks in at its strongest. You can write a list of steps like pressing the topmost button and waiting to arrive on that floor, watching as the door closes and opens, being alone inside the elevator, or having delays with the doors opening. Now try doing the opposite. For example, face away from the door or occupy yourself with your phone so that you are distracted.
  2. Create Your Fear Ladder Although the name says fear of elevators, it is not the whole process that scares you. There are just phases and parts of the elevator riding experience that cause you to panic. So go back to the list you initially created and label the fear level you feel. You can do it numerically, too, like ten being 'really scary,' six, 'manageable scary,' and one, 'not scary at all.' You can put the corresponding fear levels so you can focus more time and effort into activities that are more scary to you.
  3. Face Your Fear By now, you have identified what scares you the most. You can try repetitive action to minimize your fear and increase your sense of ‘normalcy’. Remember that the longer you expose yourself to your fear, the better you get at handling your emotions. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stop. Pushing yourself too fast and too soon can backfire. Modify your pace and go slower instead.
  4. Talk About Your Fear People by nature, unfortunately, are not quick to offer understanding and support. You need to tell them what's wrong before they can empathize. Talk to someone who you trust and ask for their support, especially in the initial phase of overcoming your fear. If you are too afraid to ride the elevator alone, you can ask them to go with you, and before you realize it, you are on your floor, and there was no indication of panic.
  5. Learn To Be Patient Be patient with yourself and your predicament. This is, after all, your fight against fear. It might take hundreds of elevator ride practices before the fear gets under control. Even then, there might be some hesitations and episodes of nervousness. These are acceptable and expected, so cut yourself some slack and congratulate yourself for every progress.

Seeking Professional Help

Along with self-help, you can always enlist a medical professional's aid to support you with your elevatophobia. Talking to someone who has experience with similar cases can be comforting, because you know that you are not alone, and this situation can get better. Talk to your doctor about the severity of your fears and the symptoms that you experience. Explain how you deal with it in an attempt to control it. An exam and a health history are made to ensure that there are no unrelated or underlying problems that your symptoms might mask. Usually, phobias like this are approached with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Your doctor will talk about these options with you, and it's entirely up to you, with your doctor's recommendation, what you want to pursue. For psychotherapy, the most common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which aims to help you find different ways of behaving, thinking, and reacting when about to step inside an elevator or when already inside it. With medications, there are beta blockers and benzodiazepines, but note that these can have side effects. Whatever these side effects are, you should promptly share it with your doctor.

Simple Tips to Overcome Elevatophobia

Elevators are not perfect, but their likelihood to malfunction, fall, or get stuck is very low. If you are not fully confident with this information, you can help overcome your elevatophobia by learning common elevator safety tips and basic elevator operations. These should help curb your mild fear until you become more self-assured. In addition to that, here are some of the things that you can do to gradually overcome your fear of elevators—both in getting on and riding one.

Conclusion

Yes, elevatophobia can be a challenge in today's world, but don't allow the elevator to win. Don't let it stop you from taking a job on the top floor or attending a social gathering on the rooftop. Sure, you can take the stairs if you insist and arrive winded and sweaty, with the party about to wrap up. But is this the quality of life you seek? Elevators are designed to make life easier. There are guaranteed ways to help you overcome elevatophobia. Take the first step and seek help. Soon, you’ll see yourself breezing through the floors with those arduous stair climbs little more than a memory.
This Pop-up Is Included in the Theme
Best Choice for Creatives
Purchase Now