Can doulas help new moms beat the baby blues?
NCT ID NCT07614789
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 06, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether doulas can successfully deliver an 8-week program called YouMatter to new or expecting mothers at risk for postpartum depression. The program combines mental health support, parenting tips, and self-care. Forty mothers with mild depression symptoms will participate, and researchers will check how well doulas follow the program.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- YouMatter behavioral intervention
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that doulas can effectively deliver mental health and parenting support, making such programs more accessible to new mothers.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study (40 participants) focused on feasibility, not effectiveness. It may not prove the intervention works or can be scaled.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion criteria are: 1. Edinburgh Postpartum Depression score of 10 or greater; 2. currently pregnant or within the first 3 years postpartum. Exclusion criteria includes: 1. high risk of an imminent suicide attempt; 2. actively psychotic or manic; 3. current drug or alcohol use disorder; 4. significant health complications (e.g., cancer).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina, 27705, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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