Part 3/7:

Imagine having a deep-seated desire to become a parent, only to be paralyzed by the fear of childbirth. This is the reality for many women living with tokophobia. For these individuals, even discussing pregnancy or seeing another woman's baby bump can trigger intense anxiety.

A systematic review in 2017 estimated that about 14% of women worldwide experience tokophobia, with various factors such as prior traumatic deliveries or miscarriages contributing to this fear. Some women may have experienced emotional trauma surrounding childbirth or might have had a predisposed fear from a young age.