Abstract
Objective: To present the implications that the COVID-19 pandemic brought to prenatal care adherence and to the mental health of pregnant and postpartum women. Bibliographic review: The need to adopt measures to prevent the spread of the virus, the fear of contamination and susceptibility to the outcome with premature birth, previous rupture of membranes, intrauterine growth restriction and stillbirth, resulted in significant decline to prenatal care adherence. This conjuncture is due to the cancellation of appointments, the difficulty of accessing telemedicine and the need for an extension of up to 14 days in the cases of confirmation or suspicion infection, which can compromise the safety and welfare of mothers and babies. Associated with that, there is an intensification of feelings such as fear and loneliness, with resurgence of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Final considerations: That said, it is very important to emphasize the necessity of prenatal care, flexible access to these consultations and the establishment of humanized medical and family follow-up, in order to garantee an emotional suport, even more important in today’s context.