Last Updated on October 27, 2026 by admin
Table of Contents
What is tokophobia?
Tokophobia is defined as a pathological fear of pregnancy that can lead to avoidance of childbirth*. Some people wonder if there is a tokophobia test to find out “have it” before getting pregnant.
Why can women experience tokophobia?
The idea of growing a human being inside your body can be scary for many people. It can come from many places, something they have seen, society, heard of horror stories and more. When this fear becomes extreme, can be called primary tokophobia. However, if you have already been pregnant, and from there you develop extreme fear, that would be a secondary tokophobia.
As with any phobia, it depends on each person why is it that they are doing that phobia. In most cases, it has to do with a misinterpretation of the brain of a significant event. And the significant event can be anything. In many cases, you can get to the root of the phobia through regression. And even so, still will depend on each person.
Is there a tokophobia test?
There’s no single test that diagnoses tokophobia. But there are short questionnaires that measure fear of childbirth. The most widely used is the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire (W-DEQ), and a shorter two-question version, the Fear of Birth Scale, has been tested for use in antenatal care (Haines et al., 2015). They’re a starting point for a conversation, not a diagnosis.
In the UK, a GP or midwife can talk it through and refer for support. If fear of birth is behind a request for a caesarean, NICE says women should be offered a referral to a healthcare professional with expertise in mental health support during pregnancy and after birth (NICE quality standard QS32).
Fear of birth: a 1-minute self-check
This isn't a test or a diagnosis. It's a few questions to help you notice how much fear of pregnancy or birth is affecting you. Your answers stay on your screen: nothing is saved or sent.
For each, choose Rarely, Sometimes or Often.
Please choose an answer for each of the 7 questions.
Some worry about birth is very common, and it sounds as though it isn't holding you back right now. If that changes, you're welcome to talk it through.
It sounds as though fear of birth is playing a part in how you feel. That's more common than people think, and many people find it eases with the right support. A free 30-minute consultation is a calm, confidential space to look at what's behind the fear and what could help. There's no pressure to book anything after.
If the fear started after a difficult birth, my page on birth trauma therapy explains how I work with that.
If you're pregnant and feeling very distressed, please talk to your midwife or GP too. If you ever feel unsafe or have thoughts of harming yourself, call 999, or Samaritans free on 116 123.
‘It scares me to think about pregnancy’
You are not alone. There is no comparison to being pregnant and giving birth. You must have heard this before, but your body knows how to do it. There are many ways to work on becoming more confident and empowered about being pregnant. A great starting point is a research, not about the negatives, but a realistic way. Maybe, you can include medical research papers, speak to other women, GP, and professionals that work with pregnant women. You can explore what hypnotherapy is, and ways it can support you. Whatever you choose, make sure it is what you would feel more comfortable with. This is your journey.
Can hypnotherapy help with fear of childbirth?
Fear of childbirth is common, and many people find hypnotherapy helps them feel calmer and more in control when they think about pregnancy and birth. Cognitive hypnotherapy is a brief approach: we work on what’s behind the fear, not only the fear itself, and we agree the number of sessions together at the start. Sessions are online, wherever you live.
If the fear started after a difficult birth, my page on birth trauma therapy explains how I work with that.
Ready to talk it through? A free consultation is a confidential, no-pressure conversation about what’s going on and whether working together feels right. Book your free consultation.
* Tokophobia definition by NCBI