If you are thinking about harming yourself or your baby, or you feel you might not be safe, this cannot wait. In the US: call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or call 911 / go to your nearest emergency room.
Postpartum Support International — call or text 1-800-944-4773, or visit postpartum.net. You can also always call your obstetric provider or midwife.
What the EPDS is
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is a short, 10-question screening tool developed in 1987 to help identify people who may be experiencing depression around pregnancy and after birth. Despite the name, it is used during pregnancy as well as postpartum, it picks up anxiety as well as low mood, and it is used with partners and non-birthing parents too — perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are not limited to the person who was pregnant.
It asks how you have felt over the past seven days — about enjoyment, laughter, self-blame, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, sleep affected by unhappiness, sadness, tearfulness, and, in the final question, thoughts of harming yourself. Each answer scores 0 to 3.
What a score means — and what it doesn't
A higher total suggests a higher likelihood that depression or anxiety is present and worth a proper assessment. Clinicians often treat a score around 10 or above, or any answer above zero on the self-harm question, as a reason to follow up promptly. Exact cut-offs vary by setting, language, and whether you are pregnant or postpartum.
But a screening score is not a diagnosis. It is a signal — a reason to have a conversation with a professional who can look at the whole picture. A low score on a hard day doesn't mean nothing is wrong, and a high score doesn't mean you have failed at anything. Depression and anxiety in this period are common, they are not your fault, and they respond well to treatment — talking therapy, support, and where appropriate medication that is compatible with pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Where to take the EPDS properly
The most useful place to complete the EPDS is with your care provider — at a prenatal visit, your postpartum check, or your baby's pediatric visits, many of which now include parental mood screening. That way the result is attached to someone who can act on it with you. If your provider hasn't offered it and you'd like to be screened, you can ask.
We deliberately don't host a self-scoring version of the questionnaire here. A number on a web page with no one to talk it through with is the opposite of what screening is for.
Signs worth raising with someone — regardless of any score
- Low mood, tearfulness, or loss of interest that has lasted more than about two weeks
- Anxiety, racing thoughts, or panic that get in the way of daily life
- Feeling disconnected from your baby, or frightening intrusive thoughts
- Sleep problems beyond ordinary newborn disruption, or not being able to sleep when the baby does
- Feeling that your family would be better off without you
- Any thoughts of harming yourself or your baby — these need same-day help (see the top of this page)
For partners and supporters
If you're supporting someone through this: take mood changes seriously, don't wait for them to ask, help them make the call or the appointment, and keep asking how they are. Partners can also develop perinatal depression and anxiety themselves — the same resources apply to you.
Nuga keeps a private mood check-in
A confidential EPDS check-in with crisis resources built in. Nuga stores your result privately, flags an elevated band as worth a conversation with your care team, and never uses it for anything else.
Download on the App Store Available nowThis page is general information, not medical advice, and Nuga is not a crisis service. The EPDS is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. If you are worried about your mental health, contact your provider; if you are in crisis, use the resources at the top of this page.