Pregnancy can be an exciting time, but it can also bring up complex emotions and affect your mental health.
Many people experience mental health challenges, like anxiety and depression, during pregnancy.
If you're struggling with your mental health while pregnant, it's important to reach out for professional support — help is available, and you don’t have to go through it alone.
Pregnancy can be a joyful time. You may feel a special bond with the life you’re growing inside of you. This time can also help you learn more about your body while sharing your happiness about your baby with loved ones. However, pregnancy can impact your mental health too.
Many people feel overwhelmed, depressed, or anxious during pregnancy. It’s important to get help no matter the mental health obstacles you face. These feelings are common and valid, but they can also signal mental health concerns that may affect your well-being and your baby’s health.
Therapy can be a supportive and empowering way to care for your mental health during pregnancy and after giving birth. A therapist can listen without judgment and help create a plan that meets your unique needs.
Mental health challenges during pregnancy
If you’ve never been pregnant before, it may be hard to recognize pregnancy-related mental health challenges. And even if you’ve already had a baby, your mental health can be different with each pregnancy.
Be on the lookout for signs of mental health conditions that can happen during or after pregnancy like:
Depression: If you experience a low mood, loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy, or excessive fatigue during pregnancy, you might be experiencing perinatal depression. Around 20% of people experience perinatal depression during pregnancy. Postpartum depression (PPD) is also a concern and can also affect men and noncarrying partners, not just the birthing parent. People with untreated PPD may have difficulties in caring for themselves or their new baby.
Anxiety: Antenatal anxiety is anxiety that happens during pregnancy. You might have panic attacks or a fast heartbeat. Anxiety disorders are especially common during the first trimester. If you’ve experienced anxiety before, you may be more likely to experience it again during or after pregnancy.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): Some research suggests that OCD symptoms can worsen during pregnancy. You might have upsetting, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) or feelings or feeling like you have to do certain actions or routines (compulsions). For example, someone might fear harming the baby, even if they would never act on it. These thoughts can feel scary but are treatable with the right help.
Schizophrenia: It’s also common for people with schizophrenia to relapse during pregnancy — especially if they’ve stopped taking medications. Schizophrenia can include things like seeing or hearing things that aren’t there or having strong beliefs that don’t match realityIt’s important to have professional support during pregnancy and after birth.
These conditions can affect both you and your new baby. For instance, babies whose parents have untreated PPD are more at risk for emotional, behavioral, and developmental challenges.
In some cases, people with severe depression or other mental health conditions may have thoughts of harming themselves or their baby*. These thoughts can be scary, but they don’t make you a bad parent — and help is available. If you're struggling, it’s important to reach out to a mental health provider right away.
*If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts or thoughts about harming themself or others, please call or text 988 on any phone for the Suicide & Crisis lifeline, contact a local crisis line, or head to the emergency room immediately. Any of these resources will ensure that the person in crisis receives support right away. For more information on getting help, go to 988lifeline.org
If experiencing a life-threatening emergency or you need immediate help, please call 911.
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How pregnancy can affect your mental health
Many factors may affect your mental health during this time in your life, including unrealistic pressure to have a “perfect birth” or be the “perfect parent.” Parents-to-be might also worry about the financial cost of raising children. Stressors like this might start before pregnancy and extend beyond birth.
Stress can trigger or worsen the symptoms of other mental health conditions. That’s in addition to other factors, including:
Low social support: If your partner, family, or friends are unsupportive or absent during pregnancy, it can negatively affect your mental health. On the other hand, having a strong support network during pregnancy can lower the risk of mental health issues. This is especially true for first-time birthing parents.
Hormonal changes: Pregnancy also brings about hormonal changes that can influence your mental health. Both estrogen and progesterone increase during pregnancy so a healthy pregnancy can happen. But these hormones can also cause mood swings and anxiety.
Ways to improve your mental health while pregnant
While it’s important to prioritize your mental health during pregnancy, you don’t have to do it alone. Lean on the people in your life. That could be your doctor or obstetrician, therapist, partner, and other loved ones — or all of the above.
Admittedly, sometimes this is easier said than done. Navigating conversations around mental health and pregnancy can be hard. Introducing lifestyle changes and navigating new parenthood can be even harder.
However, you can make this process smoother by taking these steps:
Talk with your partner. Opening up to your partner about your mental health can make you feel better. Explain what it’s like to live in your brain while pregnant. If you know what support you need from your partner, ask them for it. This conversation can also bring you closer together.
Seek professional help. Experiencing difficulties with your mental health during pregnancy is common. Almost 1 in 5 women experience a mental health condition before or during pregnancy. There’s no shame in seeking help. Putting your mental health first will also make it easier for you to be there for your baby.
Track changes in your mental health. Writing down dips in mood or other mental health changes you experience can be a powerful tool. Bringing this information to your doctor or therapist could help influence any recommendations or treatments they give you.
Introduce small changes. It can be overwhelming to try to overhaul your life to focus on your mental health. Instead, try smaller things like meditating or journaling for five minutes in the morning. Find what works for you, and know that if you feel good afterward, you’ll probably continue the habit.
Try therapy. Talking with a therapist can be a relief. You can process your feelings and build healthy coping mechanisms. In particular, interpersonal therapy (IPT) has been shown to significantly reduce depression symptoms during pregnancy. IPT helps people understand their emotions better and improve their personal relationships.
Try checking in with yourself each day and sharing how you feel with someone you trust. Talking with a therapist can also give you extra support and tools to handle stress and emotions during pregnancy.
Brandy Chalmers, LPC
Clinical reviewer
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Pregnancy can be a challenging time for your mental health, and especially so if you’ve experienced depression, anxiety, or another condition in the past. But whether you’re pregnant or caring for a new baby, help is available.
At Rula, we’re committed to delivering a comprehensive behavioral health experience that helps people feel seen and understood so they can get back to feeling their best.
Rula makes it easier to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who accepts your insurance so you don’t have to choose between affordable care and excellent care. With a diverse network of more than 15,000 providers, 24/7 crisis support, and appointments available as soon as tomorrow, we're here to help you make progress — wherever you are on your mental health journey.
Siobhan Neela-Stock
Siobhan Neela-Stock is a writer and journalist who focuses on health, particularly mental health. She earned her master's in journalism from Northwestern University in 2018 and worked at Mashable for over two years where she focused on social good reporting.
Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, SELF, Fortune, Verywell Health, among other publications. Neela-Stock also teaches writing and journalism at several universities.
She enjoys traveling, dancing, playing dodgeball, and spending time with her loved ones.
Brandy Chalmers, LPC
Having faced challenges like childhood abuse, neglect, and the loss of her father to suicide, Brandy Chalmers is deeply passionate about providing compassionate care. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and Registered Play Therapist with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy.
Brandy also teaches at a university, sharing her expertise with future mental health professionals. With over a decade of experience in settings like inpatient care and private practice, she specializes in helping clients with perfectionism, trauma, personality disorders, eating disorders, and life changes.
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Members of Rula’s clinical leadership team and other expert providers contribute to all published content, offering guidance on themes and insights based on their firsthand experience in the field. Every piece of content is thoroughly reviewed by a clinician before publishing.
