Anatom3DPostnatal depression
Depressio postpartalis · Poporodní deprese
female only
What it is
More than one in ten mothers, and it is not baby blues — it lasts and it responds to treatment.
Symptoms & signs
- Low mood beyond two weeks
- inability to enjoy the baby
- guilt
- anxiety
- intrusive thoughts
- sleep problems beyond the baby's
🚩 Get help if…
- call 112 / 911 now Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
- call 112 / 911 now Hearing or seeing things, or strange beliefs, in the first weeks after birth
- see a doctor soon Unable to sleep, eat or care for yourself or the baby
- see a doctor soon Low mood or no joy lasting more than 2 weeks after the birth
Where it strikes
- Brain
- Limbic system
- Endocrine glands
Medical treatment
- Talking therapy
- sertraline is compatible with breastfeeding
- health-visitor support
- zuranolone or brexanolone in severe cases
- urgent care for psychosis
Natural & lifestyle
- Practical help with sleep
- peer support groups
- exercise
- honest conversations at the six-week check
Emerging & experimental
- Digital CBT for perinatal mood
Alternative, off-label & anecdotal
Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.
- Omega-3 — trials disagree mixed evidence
- Saffron — a small trial early / small studies
- Placenta capsules — a small trial found no effect on mood not confirmed in trials
ICD codes
- ICD-10 F53.0
- ICD-11 6E20 Mental or behavioural disorders associated with pregnancy, childbirth or the puerperium, without psychotic symptoms