Akademik

throe

n. (usu. in pl.)
1 a violent pang, esp. of childbirth or death.
2 anguish.
Phrases and idioms:
in the throes of struggling with the task of.
Etymology: ME throwe perh. f. OE threa, thrawu calamity, alt. perh. by assoc. with woe

Useful english dictionary. 2012.