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Tocophobia: a nosological quagmire

Verinder Sharma1,2,3, Sapna Sharma4

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada. vsharma@uwo.ca.

Archives of Women'S Mental Health
|August 7, 2023
PubMed

Fear of childbirth exists on a continuum of severity, and the most severe form is commonly referred to as tocophobia. Although a rare entity, tocophobia is a common reason for requesting an elective cesarean section. It is generally considered a specific phobia but is not recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as a diagnostic entity. To improve the assessment and treatment of tocophobia, research is warranted to clarify its relationship with commonly occurring psychiatric disorders in pregnancy.

Keywords:
AnxietyChildbirthDiagnosisPost-traumatic stress disorderTocophobia

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