Can I really just screen myself?

Yes — the scale is publicly available and self-administration is common. The one rule: a concerning result goes to a professional (your OB, midwife, or the pediatrician at the next visit) rather than into a drawer. It's a conversation-starter with evidence behind it, not a verdict to sit alone with.

When should I take it — and how often?

Any time from late pregnancy onward, and repeatedly: mood at two weeks and mood at three months are different questions. Many providers screen at multiple visits across the first six months for exactly that reason.

Does it work for anxiety, or for partners?

Several items touch anxiety, and it's been used with fathers and partners in research — though thresholds differ. For a partner who seems to be struggling, it's a reasonable opener, but the more important step is the same: a real conversation with a provider, with Postpartum Support International's HelpLine as the always-available on-ramp.

When it happens · 4 min read

The ten questions your doctor should be asking

Somewhere between 'baby blues are normal' and 'get help if it's serious' lives the actual question: how is anyone supposed to tell which side of the line they're on at 3am, three weeks in, running on fragments of sleep? It turns out medicine has a specific, validated answer — ten questions long — and you're allowed to use it yourself.

Last updated August 9, 2026

What the EPDS is

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is a ten-item questionnaire developed specifically for the postpartum period — it deliberately leans on mood and thought rather than sleep and appetite, which new-parenthood scrambles for everyone. Each item asks about the past seven days: whether you've been able to laugh and look forward to things, whether you've blamed yourself unnecessarily when things went wrong, felt anxious or panicky, felt overwhelmed, had trouble sleeping even when the baby sleeps, felt sad, cried, and — the tenth question — whether thoughts of harming yourself have occurred. Each answer scores 0 to 3; the total runs 0 to 30.

Where you're supposed to encounter it

ACOG recommends depression screening during pregnancy and at postpartum visits, and the AAP advises pediatricians to screen mothers at well-child visits across the first six months — the pediatrician's office being, in practice, where postpartum parents actually show up. If you've filled out a short mood questionnaire at a one-month or four-month baby visit, that was likely this. If you've never been handed one, that's a gap worth closing yourself: the scale is public, printable, and takes five minutes.

How to read a score, honestly

In common practice, scores around 10 and above prompt further evaluation, and any positive answer on question 10 — self-harm thoughts — matters immediately regardless of the total. But hold the tool with both hands: it's a screen, built to flag who should have a conversation, not to hand down diagnoses. A high score doesn't mean you have depression; it means a professional should help you find out. A modest score while you're quietly drowning doesn't overrule you; symptoms that persist past two weeks, or impair your days, earn the conversation at any score. The sentence that starts it: 'I took the Edinburgh scale and scored X — I'd like to talk about it.'

Common questions

Can I really just screen myself?: Yes — the scale is publicly available and self-administration is common. The one rule: a concerning result goes to a professional (your OB, midwife, or the pediatrician at the next visit) rather than into a drawer. It's a conversation-starter with evidence behind it, not a verdict to sit alone with.
When should I take it — and how often?: Any time from late pregnancy onward, and repeatedly: mood at two weeks and mood at three months are different questions. Many providers screen at multiple visits across the first six months for exactly that reason.
Does it work for anxiety, or for partners?: Several items touch anxiety, and it's been used with fathers and partners in research — though thresholds differ. For a partner who seems to be struggling, it's a reasonable opener, but the more important step is the same: a real conversation with a provider, with Postpartum Support International's HelpLine as the always-available on-ramp.

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Where this comes from

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)AAP

Every claim on this page traces to one of these. See every source we use →

Written from the sources named above, and it is not a substitute for your own doctor. If something feels wrong to you, that instinct is a good enough reason to call — you know yourself and this family better than any page does.