Prenatal care access and pregnancy outcomes in Missouri.

Women's access to prenatal care and perception of barriers to obtaining care were acquired from data derived from the 1990 NICHD/Missouri Maternal and Infant Health Survey. Maternal surveys were available for 479 fetal deaths, 902 VLBW, 802 MLBW, and 919 normal birth weight infants. Very low birth weight mothers were less likely to receive prenatal care, perceived more barriers to obtaining prenatal care, and were more unhappy about their pregnancy than were the mothers of normal weight infants.