JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KFVS) – Missouri’s top healthcare experts have recognized that one of the most common concerns pregnant women face is mental health, but the challenge now is to help them.

In a continuing effort by the state to combat high maternal mortality, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has released a new report on pregnancy-related deaths. The report includes data from 2017 to 2021 and is the first to reflect the impact of the pandemic on maternal health in Missouri.

During the five-year reporting period, an average of 70 women died during pregnancy or after childbirth in Missouri each year. The highest number of deaths recorded in a single year was 85 in 2020. The national average maternal mortality rate is 22 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the Centers for Disease Control, but Missouri’s is about 10 higher.

According to the report, the biggest health concern for pregnant women is heart disease, closely followed by mental health.

Data in the report indicate that the pandemic has exacerbated symptoms of depression, anxiety and other mental health problems.

Mental health problems can manifest in many different physical ways in women during pregnancy and after childbirth. Sadly, some can lead to suicide. In the five-year period covered by the report, 14 percent of deaths were suicides.

Dr. Jean Goodman of MU Health said all mental health issues can be considered preventable if a person receives care and treatment.

Mental health problems are common.

Alison Williams is a registered nurse who currently works with the Missouri Hospital Association and the Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review, which produced the report.

“We see it as a failure, like there’s something ‘wrong’ with you that might be different than the physical diagnosis,” Williams said. “But in reality… it can be really difficult and can cause a lot of depression and anxiety that, quite frankly, spiral out of control.”

Williams herself struggled with mental health issues during her pregnancy.

“I struggled with anxiety and depression during both of my pregnancies, and it was pretty bad with my second,” Williams said. “At the time, it wasn’t considered critical.”

Williams said the key to helping people struggling with these issues is education and access to resources.

The report found that COVID-19 was responsible for two-thirds of pregnancy-related deaths in 2021. Goodman said she has lost more patients during the pandemic than in the past three decades.

“Unfortunately, COVID was a complete unknown for all of us, and we had no idea how to best treat, and even with the best facilities and capabilities available, we still lost patients,” Goodman said. “In 30 years, I’ve only had one mom die during that time period, and I lost several in the first six weeks of a devastating pandemic.”

Over the past two fiscal years, Gov. Mike Parson and the Missouri Legislature have invested more than $10 million to address maternal health issues. While it will be years before the data can reflect any potential progress, Goodman said the state is already seeing a return on that investment through new programs implemented in hospitals across Missouri.

“What you see in the state right now is that we have programs that have opened up in a very short period of time,” Goodman said. “The Perinatal Access Maternal Health program, which is run by DHSS. It provides access for a provider to any woman before, during or after pregnancy to immediately connect with someone who is experienced in providing counseling.”

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