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The U.S. has an increasing lack of maternal health care, including maternal mental health specialists.

Over 80% of maternal mental health concerns go unreported or unrecognized.

Perinatal depression is perhaps the most pervasive, but can be hard to recognize.

Maternal health care concerns are making research headlines. In 2025, The March of Dimes reported 24.5 % of expecting mothers no longer receive prenatal care in the first trimester, a critical period for ensuring a healthy pregnancy and baby. This year, researchers Stoneburner et al. told us, “Over 35 % of U.S. counties are designated as 'maternity care deserts', lacking obstetric clinicians and birthing facilities."

Further, some women need perinatal mental health care, which is also lacking. The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health (2025) reported that 84% of birthing-aged women reside in maternal mental health resource shortage areas. Given the importance of a mother’s mental well-being on the healthy development of the child, lack of these services could contribute to everything from struggles to bond to failure to thrive.

The maternal mental health care situation

Unfortunately, not only is there a lack of resources, but in 2024, Bublitz and Sharp at Brown University reported:

There is a popular perception that pregnancy is a time solely of joy...It is a myth that mental health is protected in pregnancy. Because of this, many people who struggle with mental illness in the perinatal period are reluctant to discuss their mental health with their providers. Over 80 percent of mental health problems in pregnancy go unreported.

There is a popular perception that pregnancy is a time solely of joy...It is a myth that mental health is protected in pregnancy. Because of this, many people who struggle with mental illness in the perinatal period are reluctant to discuss their mental health with their providers. Over 80 percent of mental health problems in pregnancy go unreported.

There’s not only lack of maternal mental health services, but 80% of perinatal mothers who could use them are going unrecognized. With early intervention, perhaps those mothers-to-be could experience more of the joy of pregnancy and prevent more significant post-partum psychiatric concerns.

While we can't simply create more resources, we can help make sure struggling perinatal women are recognized and get some form of intervention. Even if they are in an area lacking maternal mental health specialists, working with a more general therapist or being prescribed pregnancy-safe medication is better than........

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