Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 29th April-5th May 2024

Mental health problems are the most common complication of pregnancy and the postnatal period (affecting at least 1 in 5) and yet there is far less investment and attention compared to physical conditions like gestational diabetes (1 in 20) and pre-eclampsia (1-5 in 100).

Suicide is the leading cause of maternal death six weeks to a year after birth. Untreated, maternal mental illness costs ~£8.1bn each year in the UK, or an average of £190m a year for an average-sized integrated care system.

Black and minority ethnic women, young mothers and those facing domestic abuse, poverty or multiple disadvantages continue to experience poorer outcomes.

With the right support, women do recover. Given pregnancy and after birth is the time in someone’s life when they have the most contact with health services, it is the ideal opportunity to ensure mental health support is treated as an essential element of pre- and postnatal care.

The Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) want to make mental health check-ins as standard as taking blood pressure!

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week | Maternal Mental Health Alliance