After having a baby, some women develop a condition called postpartum depression, or PPD, which can cause sadness, anxiety, and difficulty bonding with their newborn. Right now, most women aren't screened for PPD until about 6 to 8 weeks after giving birth, but this study wants to find out if checking earlier could help identify signs sooner. To test this, researchers will work with 428 women who deliver at an MGH hospital clinic and have no history of depression. Each woman will be randomly placed into one of two groups: one group will fill out a short depression questionnaire online at 2 to 3 weeks after delivery, while the other group will follow the usual process and complete the same questionnaire at their regular 6-week visit. The results will go to each woman's doctor, who will decide if any follow-up care is needed, just like they normally would. The study will follow each participant for 6 months after delivery to see whether earlier screening makes a difference.
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Proportion of positive Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) screens at 6 weeks in the routine care group by postpartum depression (PPD) risk status
Timeframe: 6 weeks postpartum is defined as a period between 28-56 days after the day of delivery
Edinburgh Peripartum Depression Scale (EPDS) scores at 2 weeks postpartum in the early screening group by PPD risk status
Timeframe: 2 weeks postpartum is defined as a period between 8-24 days after the day of delivery