NEW YORK, Oct 27: Scientists are moving closer to predicting postpartum depression through a groundbreaking blood test that can identify a pregnant woman’s risk with more than 80% accuracy, marking a major advance in maternal mental health.

Postpartum depression affects about one in eight women in the United States, making it one of the most common complications of childbirth. Symptoms typically emerge in the first weeks after delivery, when levels of reproductive hormones such as estrogen and progesterone drop suddenly. New research is revealing biological markers that flag heightened risk and enabling earlier interventions to prevent the disorder.

Lisette Lopez-Rose, a mother from the San Francisco Bay Area, recalls the panic attacks and deep sadness she experienced after her first child was born. “I knew my extreme emotions weren’t normal, but I was afraid to tell my obstetrician. What if they took my baby away?” she said. Six months postpartum, she joined an online network of women with similar experiences and eventually sought help from her primary care doctor. “About two months after I started medication, I started to feel like I was coming out of a deep hole and seeing light again,” she added. Today, Lopez-Rose works at Postpartum Support International, helping new mothers form online connections.

The first-ever drug for postpartum depression, containing a derivative of progesterone, received FDA approval in 2019. This winter, a San Diego-based startup, Dionysus Health, will launch myLuma, the first commercially available blood test to use biomarkers to predict postpartum depression. Women identified as at-risk could take preventive steps, including early antidepressant treatment or arranging additional support.

Jennifer Payne, a reproductive psychiatrist at the University of Virginia and lead investigator on the studies behind the test, said the blood test could reduce stigma. “If we have a blood test, it brings psychiatry down to the level of biology, which I think your average person can understand as something that needs treatment and that isn’t just in somebody’s head,” she said.

Research into the test began with Payne’s studies on why some women develop postpartum depression while others do not, despite similar hormonal changes after childbirth. Partnering with epigeneticist Zachary Kaminsky, then at Johns Hopkins University, the team discovered specific methylation patterns on two estrogen-sensitive genes, HP1BP3 and TTC9B, which were present in more than 80% of women who developed postpartum depression. These patterns can be detected throughout pregnancy, allowing early prediction of risk.

The findings, replicated in multiple studies including 240 pregnant women without prior psychiatric disorders and later in 285 additional participants, form the foundation of the myLuma test. Kaminsky, now at the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research and a cofounder of Dionysus Health, said additional biomarkers in the test improve accuracy. MyLuma will become available at select doctors’ offices in Florida, Texas, and California beginning January 2026, though it has not yet received FDA approval.

Researchers are also investigating neuroactive steroids, such as allopregnanolone, which rises during pregnancy and falls sharply after delivery, affecting the brain’s GABA-A receptor and influencing stress and mood. Other metabolites like pregnanolone and isoallopregnanolone may further contribute to postpartum depression risk.

Treatment options have evolved alongside predictive research. Brexanolone, an IV infusion approved in 2019, and its oral version, zuranolone, approved in 2023, have offered rapid relief to affected women. These therapies, along with the predictive capabilities of blood tests, are transforming the approach to postpartum depression.

Ongoing studies aim to refine myLuma’s predictive value, examining false positives and negatives, while exploring other potential biomarkers, including RNA patterns and plasma proteins linked to neuron function and inflammation.

Reflecting on her experience, Lopez-Rose said a blood test would have helped her recognize the warning signs. “It would have warned me of what to look out for, instead of it being so shocking when I was going through my depression,” she said. Today, her daughter is four, and both are thriving.