Perinatal mental health is a relatively new field encompassing ‘the emotional wellbeing of parents and infants from conception to the first two years post-partum’ There is limited local information about the relationship between parental mental health and birth. Population based data is particularly scarce. In particular there is little information to answer the following questions:

This study will use population based linked health and vital registration data from NSW to investigate the relationships between mental health and pregnancy outcomes where mental health is defined as psychiatric illness, substance use and self harming behaviors.