Mental health conditions during and after pregnancy remain a significant and often undertreated area of medicine, according to a review published by EMJ covering the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Perinatal Mental Health Conference 2026.
Perinatal mental health refers to mental health conditions that arise during pregnancy or in the period following childbirth. These include postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum psychosis, and conditions such as tokophobia, which is an intense fear of childbirth. The conditions can affect both mothers and, through disruptions to early bonding and caregiving, their children.
The RCOG conference brought together clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to examine the current state of perinatal mental health care and identify where gaps in treatment and support persist. The EMJ review described the conference as covering a range of conditions and approaches, reflecting the complexity of mental health care in the perinatal period.
One of the recurring challenges in this area of medicine is that perinatal mental health conditions are frequently missed during routine obstetric care. Screening practices vary widely, and many women do not disclose symptoms out of fear of stigma or concerns about how disclosure might affect their relationship with their care team or their parental rights.
The conference addressed both clinical and structural dimensions of the problem, including how maternity services can be better organized to identify and support women with mental health needs before and after birth. Early identification is considered critical because untreated perinatal mental health conditions can have lasting effects on both the mother and the child's development.
The RCOG, based in the United Kingdom, sets standards for obstetric and gynecological care and plays an influential role in shaping maternity policy. Its annual perinatal mental health conference has become a significant event for practitioners working at the intersection of obstetrics and psychiatry.
The 2026 conference took place against a backdrop of wider concern about maternal mental health globally, with health systems in multiple countries working to expand access to specialist perinatal mental health services.
