CDC: 1 in 4 pregnant women now delay prenatal care

Fewer pregnant women are getting early prenatal care

The percentage of U.S. women receiving prenatal care early in pregnancy has decreased over the past decade, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More pregnant women are now delaying care until later stages or going without it altogether.

The CDC's analysis of birth certificate data found that as of 2024, 75.5% of pregnant women received care during their first trimesters. That's down from 78.3% in 2021.

Care beginning in the second trimester rose from 15.4% to 17.3% over the same period. The percentage of women who got very late or no prenatal care increased from 6.3% to 7.3%.

The trend reverses a decade of progress

This marks a clear reversal from the previous five years. The report found the percentage of women with prenatal care had been increasing overall from 2016 until 2021.

The report does not address specific reasons for the change. Researchers and doctors point to several potential factors, including the pandemic's disruption and growing barriers to accessing obstetric care.

"We have a large portion of patients in the Los Angeles area whose legal documentation is unclear," said Dr. Mya Zapata, an OB-GYN at UCLA Health. "They may be hesitant to get care."

Access barriers are widespread and growing

The trend was found across all demographics, affecting women of all ages and races. The decline in early care is also a geographic issue.

Thirty-six states and Washington, D.C., saw increases in women delaying or forgoing prenatal care. In five states, more than 1 in 10 pregnant women fit this description.

• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• New Mexico
• Texas

Only six states showed improvements in access to prenatal care. These were mostly in the Midwest and South: Arkansas, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The report's author noted that early, provisional data from 2025 suggests some improvement, but warned that the final numbers could change this summer.

Why early prenatal care is critical

Doctors emphasize that early visits are not just routine check-ups. They are foundational for identifying and managing risks that can have lifelong consequences.

"There’s a host of reasons why prenatal care is important," said Dr. Brenna Hughes of Duke University School of Medicine. "The earlier that we can get patients seen, the earlier we can start interventions that can improve these longer-term outcomes."

Early care allows doctors to assess for complications like urinary tract infections, which can lead to premature labor, and to manage conditions like diabetes. Pregnancy hormones make regulating blood sugar much harder, and uncontrolled sugar affects fetal organ development.

Missing early care closes a window for prevention

One of the most significant consequences of delayed care is missing the window for preventing preeclampsia. This is a potentially deadly condition causing dangerously high blood pressure later in pregnancy.

At-risk patients are recommended to start a low-dose aspirin regimen at 12 weeks' gestation. "If you don’t even start your prenatal care until 14 weeks’ gestation, you’ve already lost the opportunity to start that preventive measure early in the pregnancy," Hughes said.

That early period, she stressed, is when such preventive measures are most important for the health of both the mother and the baby.