[HIGHLIGHTS] Fear of childbirth and pregnancy: what is tokophobia?

According to a recent American study, a majority of pregnant women fear childbirth. The fear of giving birth is very real in some people.

Exacerbated, it even has a name: tokophobia. A history of sexual violence can also be at the origin, "because pregnancy and childbirth take place in the genital sphere that has been abused," says midwife Alice Moura. "Tokophobia increases the risk of preterm birth," concludes the American study cited above. Of the 1,775 pregnant women surveyed, 5.6 per cent gave birth prematurely.