Research shows that women with disabilities have an increased risk for pregnancy complications. While most studies in the past examined the association between adverse pregnancy outcomes and inferred disabilities from diagnosis codes, a recent study included self-reported disability status data. This study found that 19.5% of participants who had given birth self-reported a disability, which is significantly higher than the U.S. prevalence estimated from diagnosis codes.

Since 2018, 2020 Mom has been working to highlight the issue of maternal suicide and drive action to improve maternal suicide rates in the US. As maternal suicide is a leading cause of maternal mortality in the US and is intricately connected with maternal mental health disorders, 2020 Mom has been a strong proponent and a catalyst for the implementation and integration of suicide prevention programs into maternal healthcare.

In September 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its latest report on maternal mortality in the U.S., noting in their press release, “Four in five pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable.” The report highlighted that the leading causes of pregnancy-related maternal mortality are mental health conditions. The CDC defines deaths due to mental health conditions as suicide and overdose/poisoning related to substance use disorder at 23% of deaths.