Dystocia, which refers to difficult labor or childbirth, can also be expressed in various other ways. These terms range from usage within the medical profession to metaphors representing a challenge in any aspect of life. Some of the synonyms, include obstructed labor, difficult birth, or even complicated delivery. Additionally, there are euphemistic phrases as in the expression "having a hard time bringing forth" or even more poetic metaphors as in the phrase "stuck in the tunnel of life". Whatever the preferred expression, its importance as a term is that it conveys the significance of the difficulty of the process being referred to.