Tokophobia: when fear of childbirth prevails

Abstract

The aim of the present article is to start to analyze the tokophobic condition by reporting the main studies that since the end of the nineties have drawn the attention both of the medical community and the public to a disorder that currently seems to involve an increasing number of women. In the first part we will try to trace a brief history of “tokophobia”, of which term we will report the etymology and try to give a definition according to current parameters. This phobia will then be analyzed by highlighting its primary causes, associated factors and its consequences. In the second part of this paper, the results of further studies on the subject will be reported, giving particular attention to the research carried out by Hofberg and Brockinton (2000). Finally, we will try to give a brief overview of the possible treatments currently provided to mitigate, when it is not possible to heal it, the tokophobic condition.