Prevalence of Suicidality During Pregnancy and the Postpartum

This review examined the available prevalence estimates of suicidality in preganancy & the postpartum. While suicides & attempts are lower during pregnancy & the postpartum than in the general population of women, when deaths do occur, suicide accounts for up to 20% of these deaths. Self-harm ideation is more common with thoughts of self-harm during pregnancy & the postpartum ranging from 5-14%. The risk for suicidality is significantly elevated among depressed women during the perinatal period, & suicide has been found to be the second or leading cause of death in this population. (49 refs.)