# Screening for depression in pregnancy and after birth

Intervention · id `maternal:perinatal-depression-screening` · Maternal & Newborn Atlas · release `c7fb95f1d15a7d13` (public)

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Browse, life stage: Pregnancy; Postpartum  
Browse, care area: Mental health  

## In plain language

A short set of questions about mood, sleep and thoughts that a health care provider may ask during pregnancy and after birth, to find people who may need a closer look. The answers help a provider decide on next steps; a diagnosis also uses a clinical evaluation based on symptoms.

## Technical summary

MedlinePlus lists screening questions or questionnaires, a clinical evaluation based on symptoms, and blood tests where needed to check for physical conditions such as thyroid disorders as ways a provider may diagnose postpartum depression, and lists completing recommended screening questionnaires during pregnancy and after birth among ways to lower risk. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, a 10-item questionnaire from 1987, has its own page. The atlas records no trial evidence on the effect of screening programmes on women's outcomes, and no screening recommendation was read. This page does not score a questionnaire. The recipient is the pregnant or postpartum woman.

## Connected pages

- Finds people who may need assessment: Perinatal depression (mother) (`maternal:perinatal-depression`)
- Filed under this front: Screening and tests (`maternal:front-screening-and-tests`)
- Related to: Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) (`maternal:edinburgh-postnatal-depression-scale`)

## Provenance

Content hash: 796fc13ec19e6bda3cb6a9e783b02d98701358bb10135ddf1bb0bc64a73b1f29
Last substantive edit: 2026-10-14
Evidence last checked: 2026-10-14