According to a study published in the journals Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, the COVID-19 epidemic increased anxiety about childbirth among pregnant women. The Dartmouth study was the first of its kind to measure tokophobia, or childbirth fear, in the U.S.

The first study on fears associated with childbirth, including pregnant individuals’ concerns about managing pain, the risk of harm or death to themselves or their baby, and fear about the childbirth process, was carried out in Finland and Sweden in the 1980s. Based on the findings of these studies, pregnant women were screened for childbirth fear as part of standard maternal care in Finland.

For this study, the researchers collected data from an online survey designed to determine how COVID-19 affected pregnant women’s well-being and healthcare experiences. The researchers collected prenatal data from 1,775 individuals and postpartum data from 1,110 participants, which included information about delivery experiences and birth outcomes.

Out of the total participants, 87% were identified as white, and 54% came from homes earning more than USD 100,000 per year. The findings of the study showed that 62% of participants had clinically high levels of tokophobia.

The researchers also discovered that tokophobia was 90% higher in black mothers in comparison to white mothers. They noted that this trend was an indicator of the racism faced by black mothers during their obstetric care.

Additionally, it was seen that mothers without a college degree or from low-income backgrounds, i.e., $50,000 per year or less, had a higher degree of tokophobia. Furthermore, it was also observed that women with childbirth fear had a 91% higher chance of having a preterm birth at less than 37 weeks of gestation. 

(Source: https://theprint.in/health/study-fear-of-childbirth-intensified-by-covid-19-pandemic/1574508/ )