I don't think it's simply that you "can't catch up". The real problem is that when you apply for grants, you will appear extremely non-productive over that period of time if you have no publications. Do NIH or NSF have a policy regarding this? Even if they do, if your proposal is up against others who have been working during that time, how can you penalize those folks? It's just a big mess, and I honestly don't think there's anything that can be done about it - aside from creating special grants only for funding women who have taken time off for pregnancy/child rearing. That's probably a political nuke.