International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine

en Tokophobia in Iranian women during the COVID-19 pandemic Reproductive Psycology Letter to Editor Letter to Editor On March 11 2020, the World Health Organization declared that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was a worldwide pandemic (1). This virus belongs to the group of beta- coronaviruses (2). At first it appeared that people aged over 60 yr had a higher risk of respiratory disabilities and death as a result of COVID-19 infection (3), but that pregnant women were not adversely affected (4). Then later, pregnant women were classified as an at-risk group; recently a report showed that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy can lead to adverse clinical consequences including maternal disease and life-threatening complications. Some mothers infected with COVID-19 have required hospitalization, intensive care, and invasive/noninvasive ventilation. Also spontaneous abortion, perinatal death, intrauterine growth restriction, preterm delivery, and admission to the NICU are possible (5). COVID-19 infection in pregnant women with severe respiratory signs and symptoms is usually accompanied by maternal and neonatal adverse health consequences: low birth weight, preterm birth, maternal mortality, and eclampsia (6, 7). Undoubtedly, pregnant women experience a worsening of signs and symptoms throughout and after pregnancy when infected with COVID-19 (8, 9). Adverse results of this specific condition are stress, anxiety, forced isolation, loneliness, and depression, which are heightened in pregnant women (10, 11). These women have additional concerns about their own and their unborn baby’s health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictive public health actions were implemented to reduce community transmission: quarantine implementations, border closures and travel bans, isolation and physical distancing, interaction limitation, and decreased access to social support (12, 13). Coronavirus is rapidly spreading around the world and its psychological effects are increasing gradually (14). Certainly, COVID-19, as a novel coronavirus, is responsible for overwhelming emotional and psychological changes. During this pandemic, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups are unprotected from the high levels of stress and other psychological disorders.<div style="text-align: justify;"></div> COVID-19,COVID-19 pandemic 1025 1026 http://ijrm.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1759-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Saleheh Tajalli saleheh_tajalli@yahoo.com 0000-0002-2045-6430 No Nursing Care Research Center (NCRC), School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Asad Imani imani-a@medilam.ac.ir 0000-0002-6748-2986 Yes Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.