Purpose:
Fear of childbirth manifests itself with phobias, nightmares, physical problems and lack of concentration related to the birth event. It has been an important phenomenon for women worldwide in recent years. This study was conducted descriptively to examine the fear of childbirth and the factors that may affect it in nulliparous women.

Aims and Objectives:
Birth, which is considered a critical event in a woman's life, is a natural process. Still, sometimes complications can develop for both the mother and the baby due to unforeseen circumstances, and even death can occur. The physical and psychological changes and the effects of hormones during this period can also affect women's thoughts and emotions. These emotions can be happiness and confidence, but they can also be seen as anxiety and fear.

Method:
The universe of the descriptive and cross-sectional study (March 15, 2024 - September 15, 2024) consisted of women without children. The sample of the study consisted of 250 women who agreed to participate in the study voluntarily. The socio-demographic characteristics introduction form prepared by the researchers and the Childbirth Fear – Prior to Pregnancy Scale were used to collect data. The study was collected online between March-September 15, 2024 using a form prepared by the researchers using a social networking site. In the evaluation of the research data, the analysis of descriptive characteristics was done in the SPSS 22.0 package program. Ethical approval was obtained from Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University Scientific Research Ethics Committee (Number: E-95531838-050.99-95949, Date: 01.03.2024).

Results:
The total mean score of fear of childbirth in nulliparous women was 39.62 ± 11.46. A statistically significant difference was found between the variables of the participants' employment status, marital status, future birth method plan, fear of childbirth, and desire for pregnancy and the mean scores of the pre-pregnancy fear of childbirth scale (p<0.05). Accordingly, the pre-pregnancy fear of childbirth was found to be higher in unemployed women who married, planned their future birth as cesarean section, and were undecided about pregnancy (p<0.05). According to the results of the multiple linear regression analysis, it was determined that the future birth method preference and fear of childbirth were significant predictors of pre- pregnancy fear of childbirth (p<0.05).

Conclusions:
It was observed that the level of fear of childbirth in nulliparous women before pregnancy was above average. The interaction between fear of childbirth and choice of birth method emphasizes the importance of addressing psychological factors, especially in prenatal care. Effective interventions such as counselling and psychological support are thought to alleviate childbirth-related fears and potentially move women towards vaginal birth.