The term "tocophobia" derives from the union of two Greek words: "tocòs" (childbirth) and "phóbos" (fear, apprehension), i.e. "fear of childbirth".
The fear of childbirth is a sensation experienced by 20/25% of future mothers. However, while a mild and moderate fear expresses an adaptive concern, an excessive fear, such as to lead the woman to experience pregnancy with constant fear or even to avoid the moment of childbirth, is configured as a real psychological disorder.
In the literature, tokophobia can be divided into primary tokophobia and secondary tokophobia. The first is characterized by a terror and intense suffering for childbirth before conception. The second condition is mainly traced as a result of previous traumatic experiences related to childbirth.
For example, conditions such as having a complex and prolonged labor, the need for invasive obstetric maneuvers, or an emergency c-section performed in critical conditions. The perception by the parturient of having suffered violence on her body can represent a risk factor. This is the case even if the birth has gone smoothly. In some cases it can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder or postpartum depression.
Fear of childbirth appears to be related to factors such as:
- fear and distrust of the obstetric staff's skills and competences
- fear of pain and fear of losing control associated with the event
- fear of dying in childbirth or that your baby will die.
Numerous studies have shown that social support and support, in addition to emotional support, are protective factors for pregnant women and for tokophobia.
Good partner support is significant during pregnancy and childbirth.
From a treatment point of view, it is possible first of all to think about the importance of primary and secondary prevention interventions. Psycho-education interventions, relaxation training and individual cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy are also useful.
The training of operators who work with women in the various phases of accompanying them to motherhood makes it possible to identify those who could develop fear of childbirth and intervene early on the symptoms.