Early Depression Screening and the Effects on Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression is as common as 3-22% of women. More and more studies are finding that one of the leading risk factors for postpartum depression is perinatal depression. With early screening during pregnancy, these women can be referred to proper treatment early and may reduce the risk of poor prenatal outcome for the patient and the baby. Use of the internet and mobile phone applications can make early screening easy and quick, using the EPDS as the gold standard for perinatal depression screening