The Prevalence and Impact of Tokophobia on Maternal Health.
A study suggests that 62% of American women suffer from tokophobia, the extreme fear of childbirth and pregnancy, which can result in anxiety, avoiding sex, or not feeling emotionally connected to their unborn child. The findings come at a time when fewer women in the US are having children than ever before. The study has limitations, however, as it was conducted during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic and was skewed more toward white and higher-income women. The fear was also higher among women in disadvantaged communities, such as those with lower incomes and less education. As more women report having tokophobia, the birth rate in the US is gradually declining.