While the postpartum period is a significant occasion for the first-time onset of mental-health disorders among women, few women seek help during the postpartum period, which can have long-term impacts on their quality of life, their child and their return to work.
Data suggests women feel disconnected from their workplace benefits during the postpartum period, said Dr. Archana Vidyasankar, perinatal psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology at Memorial University of Newfoundland, during a session supported by Biogen Canada at Benefits Canada‘s inaugural Women’s Health & Wealth Summit.
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Employers can help to close that gap with proactive education, she added. “It’s making care accessible, guiding paths and creating that journey as early as possible so folks know what’s available to them.”
Mood and anxiety disorders are the most common conditions during pregnancy and the year after childbirth, she said, noting it affects 23 per cent of new mothers in Canada — or about 82,000 women per year. However, provincial postpartum depression diagnosis rates vary due to differences in screening and physician training, as well as patients’ access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
Women may hesitate to reach out due to negative beliefs about treatment or unease about taking medication while breastfeeding, said Dr. Vidyasankar, noting that, even when they do seek help, it’s often not easy to navigate websites, apps or 1-800 numbers.
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A survey by Manulife found just 15 per cent of new mothers made a claim for mental-health treatment within six months of their pregnancy, 41 per cent never made a claim for mental-health medication or therapy while pregnant and 45 per cent who sought mental-health treatment in the year before their pregnancy didn’t make a mental-health claim in the months that followed the birth of their child.
In addition to educating employees on what’s available in their benefits plans, Dr. Vidyasankar recommended plan sponsors consider including specialist postpartum clinics in their plans and share community resources that can help employees navigate which health providers they might need or connect them with resources such as new mother support groups, doulas and lactation consultants. She also suggested employers improve their return-to-work processes to include gradual returns.
Read more coverage of the 2026 Women’s Health & Wealth Summit.