A couple sits with their newborn inside their Bentonville, Arkansas, home earlier this month. Nearly a quarter of pregnant women aren’t getting prenatal care in the early stages of pregnancy, according to a new analysis from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Photo by Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) Nearly a quarter of pregnant women aren’t getting prenatal care in the early stages of pregnancy, according to a new analysis from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The share of pregnant women getting prenatal care had been improving: It rose between 2016 and 2021 to a high of more than 78%, but then declined to 75.5% by 2024, wiping out previous gains. The trend is worrying because getting care early in pregnancy can improve the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy and baby. The decrease in early prenatal care held true for nearly all race and ethnic groups, but the drops were sharpest for Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders, Black ...