Fear of having a child can arise for economic reasons, such as expenses for nutrition, kindergarten, clothing, education, etc. There is another phenomenon that is rarely considered and it is: tachophobia, a syndrome that shows an excessive and unfounded fear of birth.
What causes tachophobia?
It is difficult to know how common tocophobia is. Research suggests that between 2.5% and 14% of women are affected by tachophobia. But some researchers believe that figure could be as high as 22%. So while some women may have relatively mild tocophobia, for others, the condition is much more severe. It is difficult to predict who may be affected, although it is clear that women with tocophobia are also more likely to experience problems with anxiety and depression as well as other mental health problems.
Postponement of having a child
In some cases, this syndrome may explain the growing tendency to delay motherhood. More and more women are giving birth to children around the age of 40, using assisted fertilization. Tokophobia can also be explained by another phenomenon discovered by the CeDAP survey, which is the increase in the number of births by cesarean section, a trend that involves the whole world. Although guidelines from The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence required physicians to reject caesarean section applications without clinical indications, between 1989 and 2010 they increased from 10% to 25%. These directives were revised in 2011 allowing cesarean sections for mothers who requested them and now this number has increased to 26.7%.
Anxiety increases the duration of birth
Many women are afraid of giving birth, but for some, giving birth can turn into a real phobia. According to the University of Oslo, if left untreated these fears extend the birth time by one hour and 32 minutes. These women are particularly afraid of the pain, or loss of control, and damage to the vagina that could drive their partner away. Symptoms of tachophobia begin at a young age, often after a traumatic event in which they have participated. In this case counseling and therapies with a psychologist have a great impact.
