We want to get Montreal (and Canada) talking about the importance of mental health in pregnancy and to do so we need your help.

As many as one in five women struggle with their mental health during pregnancy or after giving birth. This frequently goes unnoticed and untreated, causing unnecessary suffering for women and potentially affecting the well-being of their children. Over the last 30 years a number psychological and social factors have been shown to increase risk for anxiety or depression in pregnancy. Yet, despite this knowledge we still struggle to identify women who might benefit from a little more support during or after pregnancy. Our study seeks to change this.

The Montreal Antenatal Well-Being Study is one of the largest studies in Canada seeking to better understand which combination of factors make some women more likely than others to experience anxiety and/or depression during (and after) pregnancy. By better understanding this, we can help policy makers and health professional to more effectively support women and improve women’s mental health during pregnancy and after giving birth. We want to get Montreal (and Canada) talking about mental health in pregnancy and to do so we need your help.

The Montreal Antenatal Well-Being Study is led by Dr Tina Montreuil, Dr Kieran O’Donnell, and a team of researchers at McGill University, in collaboration with St. Mary's Hospital Centre, McGill University Health Centre, and CHU Ste-Justine. Funding for the study is provided by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund Healthy Brains for Health Lives initiative at McGill University, the Brains & Behaviour Research Foundation NARSAD Young Investigator Grant, the Ferring COVID-19 Investigational Grant in Reproductive Medicine and Maternal Health, a CIFAR Fellowship in the Child and Brain Development Program, the Chamandy Foundation, and the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation.