What is tokophobia, really? Beyond "fear of birth"
"I didn't even know tokophobia was a thing – until my whole life started making sense." What the fear actually is, and why so many women live years without a name for it.
Scared of pregnancy or birth? You're not alone – and you're in the right place.
Fear of pregnancy and birth is real, common and treatable. Here you'll find the stories, the science and the straight answers nobody else is giving you.
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Where are you right now?
Start with the sentence that sounds most like you. We'll take you to the stories, answers and next steps that fit.
I'm terrified of giving birthTokophobia →
I'm pregnant and anxious all the timePregnancy anxiety →
My last birth still haunts meReproductive trauma →
I keep putting off trying for a babyThe fear behind the delay →
I've had the baby – so why don't I recognise myself?Matrescence →
I support women through pregnancyFor professionals →
16.5%
of women worldwide fear pregnancy or birth enough for it to shape their lives
The fear that has no name – until now
Millions of women carry a dread of pregnancy and birth they've never been able to explain. It has a name, it has a cause – and it can be healed. Our definitive guide explains what tokophobia is, where it comes from, and what actually helps.
Read the guideLatest from Fear Free Childbirth
All articles →What if the anxiety you've been living with isn't just "anxiety"?
Anxious, disconnected, always slightly off – and never able to explain why. When the feeling you've carried for years turns out to have a name.
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Some of the most heartbreaking stories come from women who did want children – but whose fear decided for them. Told with care.
Women like you
Real stories from women who carried the fear – and what happened when they finally got to put it down.
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