Tokophobia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An intense fear or phobia of childbirth that causes significant anxiety or avoidance behavior in pregnant individuals or those considering pregnancy
2. A psychological condition characterized by an overwhelming dread or terror related to the process of giving birth, often impacting mental health and decision-making
3. A specific anxiety disorder involving persistent and excessive fear of labor and delivery, which may lead to avoidance of pregnancy or seeking alternative birthing methods

Etymology: Tokophobia is a modern medical coinage, built from two Ancient Greek elements that were never combined in antiquity. The first, "tókos," meant "birth" or "childbirth" and also, in its root sense, the act of bringing forth, while "-phobía" meant "fear" and appears in many scientific compounds such as "claustrophobia." Joining the two gives a name for dread of giving birth, a condition that was given a clinical label only in modern times. The word is therefore a compound of the sort that medical and psychological writers have long built from classical materials, which is why it looks ancient while belonging to the modern clinical vocabulary. Greek "tókos" is also the source of words such as "tocology," the old term for obstetrics, so the first element shows up in the vocabulary of childbirth more broadly.

Synonyms: fear of childbirth, fear of labor

Antonyms: confidence in childbirth