Postpartum depression

Postpartum depression (PPD) occurs in 4% of women during the puerperium. Patients with a previous history of depression, especially a postpartum depression, have a much greater incidence of PPD. Those patients should be evaluated carefully during the six-week period following parturition. PPD is to be differentiated from "baby blues," which occur in more than 50% of women postpartum. Baby blues are characterized by intermittent, mild affective symptoms that remit spontaneously after several days.