The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has opened a consultation on evidence relating to population screening for antenatal and postnatal mental health conditions.
We are asking stakeholders and members of the public to provide feedback on a 2025 evidence map and its conclusions. The evidence map looked at the latest literature on this topic and concluded that more in-depth work is not currently justified. It recommended the topic be reviewed again in 3 years’ time.
The committee reviews the evidence for antenatal and postnatal mental health conditions regularly.
A UK NSC evidence summary in 2019 found no evidence to support changing the pre-existing recommendation not to screen. The committee commissioned the 2025 evidence map to review literature published on the topic since that 2019 review, including evidence on new tests and interventions.
To take part in the consultation, click on the grey ‘View documents’ button on the UK NSC’s antenatal and postnatal mental health conditions recommendation page. Then submit your response by clicking on the green ‘Submit comments’ button.
The deadline for responses is 11.59pm on 4 February 2026.
The consultation responses will be presented to the UK NSC before it considers updating its recommendation.
Antenatal and postnatal mental health conditions
Antenatal and postnatal mental health conditions include common mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), plus severe mental illness (SMI) such as psychosis and personality disorder.
The nature of most of these conditions may range from mild to severe, requiring different kinds of care or treatment provided by universal and specialist services. The management and treatment of mental health conditions during pregnancy and the postnatal period need to consider the impact of interventions not only on the woman but also on her baby.
In England, about 26% of women experience a mental health disorder during the perinatal period, with depression and anxiety being the most common.
Screening tools exist which primarily focus on detecting anxiety and depression in women who have not previously experienced mental ill health. Examples include the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), and the Whooley questions.
Treatment may involve psychological, psychosocial, or pharmacological interventions. Treatment is determined by the diagnosis, the woman’s previous mental health history, the possible harms and benefits to the woman and baby, and the acceptability of the treatment to the woman.
There is NICE clinical guidance on recognising antenatal and postnatal mental health issues and making referrals.
The evidence
The 2025 evidence map identified a substantial volume of new published evidence since 2019. However, it concluded that:
- it is unclear if the type of evidence available is likely to impact on the current recommendation
- the volume of new evidence relating to the accuracy of screening tools for postnatal depression was limited
- no new evidence was identified about whether the clinical detection and management of mental health conditions is currently well implemented in the UK
- there is not enough new evidence on screening tools to detect common mental health conditions during pregnancy and interventions for those screen-detected conditions to justify further consideration in an evidence summary
Based on this evidence map, more in-depth work is not currently justified, and it is recommended the topic be reviewed again in 3 years’ time.
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