Postpartum depression can occur within which time window after delivery?

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Postpartum mood changes can begin anytime after childbirth, not only during pregnancy. The onset can be immediate or develop over weeks to several months postpartum, with a common window extending through about six months after delivery. This reflects ongoing hormonal shifts, sleep disruption, and new caregiving stressors that can contribute to depressive symptoms during that time. The option that includes both immediate onset and up to six months postpartum best fits how postpartum depression can present. Narrower windows—only during pregnancy or only immediately after delivery or only after six months—miss cases that begin in the other parts of that postpartum period. Understanding this helps with timely screening and treatment, recognizing that postpartum depression is more than the transient mood changes some people experience in the immediate days after birth.