Post-partum depression test free by phone

CORAL GABLES, Fla., March 21 (UPI) -- A U.S. insurance company for doctors of obstetrics and gynecology is offering a free post-partum depression test by phone, insurance company officials say.

The free test, available to any U.S. new mother through her doctor, is conducted over the telephone and sends a report on a patient's session to her physician's office. The test evaluates the patient's condition, and involves the doctor in taking action for the patient, officials of Obstetricians & Gynecologists RRG of America Inc. say.

Patients can sign up their doctors, and doctors then assign the test via the Web site: www.freeppdtest.com.

Doctors are allowed an unlimited number of free tests for their post-delivery patients and no advertisements are included on the Web site, company officials say.

Some states, such as New Jersey, require post-partum depression tests, but most doctors encourage all women to have a post-partum depression test 6-18 weeks after delivery.

Post-partum depression affects about one in nine or 10 women following delivery. Symptoms include trouble sleeping, feeling disconnected from the baby, having scary or negative thoughts about the baby, or worrying about seriously hurting the baby, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.