Nearly all Americans not aware midwives provide care beyond pregnancy, birth

Key takeaways:

• A new survey by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center reveals 93% of Americans know midwives provide pregnancy and birth support, but only 1 in 5 are aware midwives can provide women’s annual gynecology exams.
• Certified nurse-midwives provide health care through all seasons of a woman’s life, from the first menstrual cycle to menopause and beyond.
• There are 17 certified nurse-midwives on staff at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. 
• Maternal fetal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology specialists at Ohio State are on call and available to the midwives to help support patients in need of complex pregnancy care.  

COLUMBUS, Ohio – According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the United States is expected to face a significant shortage of OBGYNs in the next five years. It’s vital for women to have access to highly trained health care providers for all stages of their lives, from the first menstrual cycle to menopause and beyond. Certified nurse-midwives offer this kind of care, but most Americans don’t realize it.

A new survey by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center reveals 93% of people know midwives deliver babies, but are surprised to learn they can be a trusted partner in all aspects of women’s health.

“We take care of women across the lifespan,” said Michaela Ward, APRN-CNM, a certified nurse-midwife at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. “We are highly trained and we're highly skilled. We can take care of you even if there is something more complex about you or your health.”

Survey results:

The Ohio State survey of 1,006 Americans shows only 1 in 5 are aware midwives can provide women’s annual gynecology exams. The survey found that while some services, such as pregnancy and birth support and water births were identified correctly as midwife services by over half of adults, other services, like medication management, menopause care and annual women’s health exams are known by far fewer.

Among those lesser-known services, there are no significant differences by gender, meaning both men and women are equally unaware of the full breadth of women’s health services provided by midwives.

Survey respondents’ knowledge of women’s health services provided by midwives:

• Pregnancy and birth support (93%)
• Water births (69%)
• Medication management, including birth control (26%)
• Menopause care (23%)
• Annual women’s health exams including pap smears and STI testing (20%)
• C-sections (13%)
• Don’t know (1%)

Ohio State has 17 certified nurse-midwives on staff, the largest midwife program in central Ohio. Maternal fetal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology specialists are only a phone call away from midwives to provide support and care to patients with complex pregnancies.

“If I need to consult with one of our physicians at Ohio State, I can call them right away and discuss the patient’s case,” said Ward. “We all work together to provide the best care possible for our patients.” 

To schedule an appointment with a midwife, call your gynecology office and ask if they have one on staff. To schedule with a certified nurse-midwife at Ohio State, call 614-293-3069.

Survey methodology:

The survey was conducted by SSRS on its Opinion Panel Omnibus platform. The SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus is a national, twice-per-month, probability-based survey. Data collection was conducted from September 18-21, 2025, among a sample of 1,006 respondents. The survey was conducted via web (n=976) and telephone (n=30) and administered in English. The margin of error for total respondents is +/-3.7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus data are weighted to represent the target population of U.S. adults ages 18 or older.

Media Contact: Mary Ellen Fiorino, Mary.Fiorino@osumc.edu