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Physician Work Patterns in Pregnancy, Parental Leave, and Return to the Workforce

JAMA Network Open 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.7543

April 22, 2026 at 11:00 AM EDT

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How do physicians adjust their workloads before, during, and after pregnancy?In this cohort study of 5948 deliveries among 3932 practicing physicians, workload increased in the first 2 trimesters followed by a reduction in the third trimester; length of parental leave was highly variable.These findings suggest that physicians appeared to frontload their work during pregnancy, which may reflect financial pressures or group practice obligations.

Corresponding Author: Andrea N. Simpson, MD, MSc, 61 Queen St E, 5th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5C 1R6, Canada (Andrea.Simpson@unityhealth.to).

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