Just under half of Canadian mothers and birthing parents say they struggled with their mental health postpartum, according to Statistics Canada.
The 2024 Parental Experiences Survey collected information from 11,153 mothers and birthing parents across Canada who gave birth from Dec. 31, 2023 to April 29, 2024.
It includes those who gave birth who identify as women and also birthing parents who are transgender or non-binary.
One in five (20 per cent) of Canadian mothers and birthing parents reported that they “needed mental health care but did not receive it” during pregnancy or the postpartum period.
Among those reporting mental health challenges, 60 per cent say they began after childbirth, 25 per cent indicated that the challenges began during pregnancy and 15 per cent began before pregnancy.
As well, 21 per cent of mothers and birthing parents reported that “no health care provider asked about their emotional well-being during pregnancy or after childbirth.”
“We know there are many barriers in accessing care for individuals,” said Lucy Barker, a psychiatrist and early-career scientist at Women’s College Hospital. “It can be very challenging to bring it up spontaneously for some people, so making sure that health-care providers are always asking and giving that opportunity is really important.”
Thirty per cent of racialized mothers and birthing parents and 33 per cent of recent immigrants indicated that they were not asked about their mental or emotional health.
Get weekly health news
Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.
Twenty-nine per cent of racialized mothers and birthing parents reported receiving help for their mental health challenges, compared with 41 per cent of non-racialized mothers and birthing parents.
Fifty-four per cent of respondents said long wait times were the biggest barrier to getting mental health care, while 33 per cent said the care available was not helpful.
Twenty-one per cent said they didn’t know how or where to find care, and 19 per cent said they felt too busy to get mental health care.
Two per cent of respondents with mental health challenges visited an emergency department or were admitted to hospital for mental health reasons.
“During pregnancy and postpartum, there is a lot going on, it’s a time of a lot of transition, and there can be a lot of competing priorities,” Barker said. “Certainly, for some people, it can be difficult to get to appointments for their mental health. There are a lot of different challenges.”
Barker also said the survey “highlights disparities in care.”
“That really speaks to the importance of making sure that care is equitable and making sure that everyone has access to the care that they need, which includes being asked about mental health, is a first step to the pathway of getting people care,” she said.
In December 2025, Health Canada approved the drug Zuranolone, a pill meant to treat postpartum depression. The drug “acts on gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors in the brain, which are involved in regulating mood.”
The medication has been recommended for those experiencing “moderate to severe postpartum depression, with severity measured by the level of impairment in daily functioning.”
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
