With a maternal mortality rate of 55.3 per 100,000, Black women continue to outpace other ethnicities. The rate per 100,000 births for white women stands at 19.1. For Hispanic women, the rate per 100,000 remains at 18.2. And while studies routinely examine the health and well-being of women, some suggest providers often ignore an essential symptom of a mother losing a child at, or before, birth.
“Mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, are common during pregnancy and after birth. Twice as many pregnant Black women with low incomes experience these conditions as white women,” said Dr. Huynh-Nhu Le, a professor in the Department of Psychological Services and Brain Sciences at George Washington University in D.C.
“Yet, Black women are much less likely than white women to receive mental health screening or treatment during and after pregnancy,” Dr. Le stated. “Therefore, it is critical to address health and mental health concerns for Black women during and after pregnancy to close the gap in providing equitable mental health care.”
“Maternal mental health conditions, such as anxiety, perinatal and postpartum depression are some of the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth,” stated Leah Sparks, the CEO and founder of Wildflower Health, a maternal health platform for women and their healthcare providers.
Sparks estimated that 1-in-5 women are affected and 75% go untreated.
“This disproportionately impacts BIPOC women who are less likely to seek mental health support due to stigmas around mental health and distrust in the healthcare system,” Sparks noted.
Read more at WashingtonInformer.com.