Pregnancy is often described as a joyful and exciting time, but for many women, it can also bring unexpected feelings of anxiety, sadness, or stress. In fact, up to 1 in 5 women experience depression or anxiety during pregnancy or after giving birth. Even though screening for these conditions is now routine, women often struggle to find reliable information and to get the help they need.

Why is that?

In this episode of So Glad You Asked, Allie and I talk with Jessica Vernon, MD, and Marlene Freeman, MD, about what’s missing from the way we identify and treat mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy.

  • Jessica Vernon, MD is a board-certified OB/GYN and Associate Medical Director at Oula Health whose work focuses on health equity and expanding access to perinatal mental health care.
  • Marlene Freeman, MD is a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Associate Director of the Center for Women’s Mental Health at MGH and a leading researcher in perinatal mood disorders.

Filling out a questionnaire like the EPDS in your doctor’s office can be an important first step. It can help put words to what you’re feeling. But it’s not the whole story.

What many women need—and don’t always get—is space for real conversation. In an increasingly medicalized model of prenatal care, opportunities for connection—simple questions like “How are you doing?” or “What’s going on at home?”—may be overlooked.

Not every provider feels comfortable asking these questions, and not every patient feels comfortable answering them. That can make it harder to recognize when something isn’t right—and even harder to get support.

In this episode, we break down:

  • How to tell the difference between expected emotional changes and something more serious
  • How to talk to your provider about how you’re feeling
  • What happens after you screen positive for depression or anxiety
  • Where to find trustworthy information and support
  • How to think about treatment options, including medication during pregnancy

We also talk about why mental health care during pregnancy needs to be more than just a checklist—and how a more connected, compassionate approach can make a real difference for moms and their families.