Risk Factors for Mental Illness During Pregnancy and Postpartum

June 19, 2025

Authored by: Hayley Snelling, B.S. Psychology

Edited by: Emma Loker, B.S

Pregnancy is a hugely physical and emotional journey. While it can be full of excitement and love, it can also bring fear, sadness, overwhelm, and a whole load more emotions. These feelings don’t make you a bad parent – they make you human.

Many of us would like to hit the ‘pause’ button on mental health while we’re pregnant. But unfortunately, this isn’t possible. If anything, the changes that happen physically, hormonally, and emotionally during pregnancy can increase the risk of developing conditions like anxiety or depression.

Understanding these risks and knowing what to look for is therefore a key first step toward getting the right support. On this page, we’ll explore:

What pregnancy-related mental illness is
Common mental health conditions while pregnant
Mental illness risk factors during pregnancy
Preventing mental illness in pregnant persons

Understanding Pregnancy Mental Health Conditions

Mental health conditions are disorders that affect your mood, thinking, and behavior. You may have experienced mental health challenges yourself, such as depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – many of us have. They’re common in adults, with more than one in five people living with a mental illness.¹

But did you know that you can experience mental health problems while pregnant? Even if you have never experienced mental illness before, you could encounter it for the first time while your baby is growing inside you. Pregnancy-related mental illness is also pretty common, affecting one in five pregnant women.²

Pregnancy-related mental illnesses are called ‘perinatal mood and anxiety disorders’, or PMADs for short. Perinatal simply means that something occurs during pregnancy or the postpartum period (within a year of giving birth).

One perinatal condition most people have heard about is postpartum depression – a depression that sets in after giving birth. However, you can be affected by a range of mental health issues while being pregnant or a new mom, including anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychosis.

Let’s look at some of the most common mental health issues faced in pregnancy.

Common Mental Health Conditions in Pregnancy

You may have been warned about swollen ankles, exhaustion, and morning sickness. But did anyone warn you about pregnancy and mental health risks?

Perinatal mental health conditions are real. They can sneak up on you when you least expect it and impact your mental, physical, and emotional health. Pregnancy is hard enough as it is, so it’s important to know what to watch out for. Then, you can identify perinatal mental health conditions and get the support to treat them.

And it’s important to say that mental health conditions can be effectively treated, whether that’s through medication, therapy, or other options. You don’t have to struggle alone with your well-being. Help and support are available.

Perinatal Anxiety

A certain amount of anxiety is perfectly normal when you are having a baby. It’s a massive life-changing experience, and you’re likely to have some worries. These worries may center around you making the right choices for your baby, your baby’s safety, and general worries around protecting them.

However, when these worries become all-consuming and significantly impact your life, you may be experiencing perinatal anxiety. Again, this condition is pretty common – around one in five pregnant and new moms experience perinatal anxiety.³

Symptoms of perinatal anxiety can include panic attacks, heart palpitations, feeling on edge, racing thoughts, and irrational fears.

You can read more about perinatal anxiety here.

Perinatal Depression

Perinatal depression can start during pregnancy (prenatal) as well as after giving birth (postpartum). Studies show there is a one in five risk of depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period.⁴

Symptoms of perinatal depression include (but aren’t limited to):

Feeling angry or irritable
Lack of interest in your baby
Sleep problems
Appetite changes
Crying
Feeling low, guilty, or hopeless
Losing interest in things you usually enjoy
Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby

You can read more about perinatal depression here.

Perinatal Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Perinatal OCD can affect up to one in six new or expectant moms.⁵ OCD is a condition where you have unwanted intrusive thoughts pop into your head that feel almost impossible to ignore (obsessions). As a result, you feel urged to do something to lessen the fears you have around your thoughts (known as compulsions). The obsessions and compulsions usually focus on the health and safety of your baby.

You can read more about perinatal OCD here.

Perinatal Bipolar Mood Disorders

Bipolar disorders usually consist of two parts – the highs (mania), and the lows (depression). Research shows that in women with no history of mental health conditions before becoming pregnant, two or three in one hundred will develop bipolar disorder during pregnancy.⁶

Also, half of all women with bipolar disorder are first diagnosed during the postpartum period, so it’s quite common for this condition to show itself during the perinatal times.⁴

Symptoms can include:

Periods of low mood
High mood and energy
Talking fast
Racing thoughts
Impulsiveness
Delusions or hallucinations

Now that you recognize some of the most common mental health issues, let’s explore some of the mental illness risk factors during pregnancy – that is, factors that may make you more susceptible to struggling with your mental health during pregnancy.

Identifying Risk Factors for Perinatal Mental Health Issues

Perinatal mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, and postpartum psychosis, can be influenced by a variety of risk factors. Let’s examine them one by one.

Hormonal Changes and Mental Health in Pregnancy

Hormonal changes are essential for preparing your body for motherhood, but they can also impact your mental health. The main hormonal shifts that happen in pregnancy involve estrogen and progesterone, which are essential for fetal development. However, they can also lead to mood swings.⁷

Estrogen works not only on parts of the body that grow your baby but also on part of the brain that regulates mood. Progesterone helps you to relax and prevent early contractions but also causes fatigue.

Knowing this may help you understand why you may feel more emotional than you usually do.

Personal and Family History

Having a personal or family history of mental health conditions is believed to be the biggest mental illness risk factor during pregnancy.⁸ For example, if you have bipolar disorder, your risk of developing postpartum psychosis is one in four.⁹

Some mental disorders run in families, so knowing your family’s mental health history may help you know if you are at risk of developing one. You can then keep watch for early warning signs.

Environmental Risk Factors During Pregnancy

Did you know that there is a link between stress and mental illness during pregnancy? Yes, life stress can put you at a higher risk of developing a mental health condition such as depression during pregnancy. Stressors may include a lack of social support, domestic violence, poor relationships, financial stress, and unwanted pregnancies.¹⁰

Medical Risk Factors

There are other factors to take into consideration when looking at mental health during pregnancy. Having complications through pregnancy or if you have to stay in hospital can cause extra stress, making it one of the potential risk factors for postpartum depression.¹¹

Physical health issues can also contribute to a mental health condition starting up. For example, thyroid imbalance is a risk factor for perinatal OCD and depression, while diabetes is a risk factor for perinatal depression.⁴

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to support yourself during this time in your life. Next, we explore how to prevent mental illness during pregnancy and the support services available if you’re struggling.

Preventing Mental Illness During Pregnancy

Rather than waiting to see if you develop a mental illness during pregnancy, there are some things that can help prevent it from becoming a problem:

Mental health screening during pregnancy: While having your medical appointments, such as with your OB-GYN, they could ask you questions to identify if you are at risk of developing a mental health condition during pregnancy. That way, you can be signposted to resources and receive help before it becomes an issue.
Prenatal education: Learning about your journey through pregnancy – what can happen, what complications may occur, what warning signs to look for – can help you feel more prepared, less anxious, and less stressed overall.
Early detection: Between mental health screening and knowing what symptoms and signs to keep watch for, you can detect a condition such as perinatal depression early on. This means you can get treatment before it becomes a bigger problem.
Support networks: Lack of support can be a risk factor for poor mental well-being. Joining a support group or building up your own support network of friends, family, and healthcare professionals, can help you feel supported at the time you need it the most.
Mindfulness: Practicing mindfulness can help to reduce stress: one of the mental illness risk factors during pregnancy. Mindfulness basically means being present in the moment, letting thoughts drift through your mind without getting attached or judging them. You can find mindful breathing videos or mindfulness meditation audios online for free to get you started. You can also check out our free resource, Mindfulness and Meditation for Stress Reduction, to find out more.
Communication: Talk to your healthcare providers about how you are doing emotionally and mentally, as well as physically. If you are open and honest about anything that is niggling you or you are concerned about, they can give you the help and support you need. In fact, this doesn’t just apply to your doctor or OB-GYN. Talking about how you feel with people close to you or other pregnant moms, such as at antenatal classes, can help you feel understood. You might even get some tips or advice from others in your position, or offers of help from friends and family to take some of the pressure and stress off of you. Check out our guide if you need some help starting a conversation with your OB-GYN about mental health.
Therapy: If you have a pre-existing mental health diagnosis and are pregnant, therapy can be a great way to notice and tackle any mental well-being challenges as and when they arise. Therapy is an effective treatment for many mental health conditions, and getting early support is essential for the health of both you and your baby.

Remember: If you do find yourself on the receiving end of a mental health condition while pregnant, such as perinatal anxiety, it is absolutely treatable. With the right support and care, you can look forward to the joys of motherhood without a black cloud above your head.

Prioritizing Your Mental Health During Pregnancy

Mental health challenges during pregnancy are more common than people realize and are nothing to be ashamed of. Whether you feel low, overwhelmed, or just not like your usual self, know this: Help is available, and recovery is possible.

If you’re concerned about your mental well-being during pregnancy, don’t hesitate to reach out. At Mission Connection, our team of mental health professionals is here to support you with compassionate care that’s tailored to your individual needs. You don’t have to face this mental health journey alone.

We know that everyone needs different levels of care, which is why we provide:

Outpatient Treatment – including CBT and ERP
Telehealth – so that you can attend virtual appointments, where and when it suits you
Intensive Outpatient Programs – for extra care and help during the daytimes
Residential Treatment – for round-the-clock care and support

We believe that cost shouldn’t prevent you from getting the help you need. That’s why we offer a range of ways to pay, including insurance payments, flexible payment plans, and sliding-scale fees. Click here for more details.

References

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Postpartum Support International. (2025, March 18). About perinatal mental health. https://postpartum.net/perinatal-mental-health/
Mulcahy, M., Long, C., Morrow, T., Galbally, M., Rees, C., & Anderson, R. (2023). Consensus recommendations for the assessment and treatment of perinatal obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD): A Delphi study. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 26(3), 389–399. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-023-01315-2
Masters, G. A., Hugunin, J., Xu, L., Ulbricht, C. M., Simas, T. a. M., Ko, J. Y., & Byatt, N. (2022). Prevalence of bipolar disorder in perinatal women. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 83(5). https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.21r14045
American Pregnancy Association. (2021, December 9). Mood swings during pregnancy. https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/pregnancy-health-wellness/mood-swings-during-pregnancy/
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