Suicide leading cause of death among new mothers

The NHS needs to do more to prevent suicides among pregnant women and new mothers, a national audit has recommended.

Specialist perinatal mental health teams need to have a leadership role in the care of pregnant women with mental health conditions, the Maternal State of the Nation Report for 2021-23 said. This should include risk assessment, advice and guidance, and rapid onward referral if needed.

The report, published this month, also called for all those caring for pregnant women and new mothers to be aware of any known domestic abuse via flags in their records. In the years covered by the report, 13 women were killed by their partner or former partner, six of whom had previously reported domestic abuse.

Suicide was the leading cause of death for women between six weeks and a year after the end of their pregnancy. According to the 2021-23 audit, 88 women in Britain and Ireland died by suicide while pregnant or within a year, which was more than 50 per cent higher than in 2017-19.

“Women with social and medical complexity require urgent, specialist care and interagency communication to fully appreciate and coordinate all aspects of care,” the report said, highlighting the trauma suffered by the loss of a child, whether through stillbirth, perinatal death or custody proceedings.

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Source: HSJ, 16 September 2025