What is the first-line antidepressant recommended for a woman diagnosed with post-partum depression?

Sertraline is considered the first-line antidepressant for women diagnosed with postpartum depression due to its established efficacy and safety profile during breastfeeding. It is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that effectively improves mood and alleviates the symptoms associated with depression.

Research supports sertraline’s use as it is one of the most studied SSRIs in the context of postpartum depression, demonstrating significant improvements in depressive symptoms while being safe for infants when mothers are breastfeeding. This makes it particularly valuable for women in the postpartum period, as they often face the dual challenge of managing depression and caring for a newborn.

While other SSRIs such as fluoxetine, citalopram, and escitalopram are also effective in treating depression, sertraline's favorable profile and robust evidence in studies make it the preferred choice for treating postpartum depression specifically.