Can a wearable light device lift the fog of postpartum depression?
NCT ID NCT07766161
First seen Aug 14, 2026 · Last updated Aug 14, 2026
Summary
This trial explores whether wearing a bright light device for 60 minutes each morning for five weeks can help new mothers with postpartum depression. It focuses on whether the treatment is practical and acceptable to participants, and how it might be implemented in real-world settings. The study includes women up to six months after childbirth who have elevated depression scores.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Morning bright light therapy using a wearable Re-Timer device
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this could offer a drug-free, at-home option to help ease postpartum depression symptoms.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-stage trial focused on feasibility, not proof of effectiveness. Results may not generalize, and light therapy may not work for everyone.
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 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2026
- Expected to finish
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May 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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18 years and older
- 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: 1. ≤ 6 months postpartum 2. EPDS score \>10 Exclusion Criteria: 1. Current or past-year substance use disorder 2. Lifetime history of bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder 3. Active suicidal intent 4. Retinal pathology or history of eye surgery 5. Current use of photosensitizing medications 6. Untreated sleep-disordered breathing, untreated restless legs syndrome, or narcolepsy 7. Psychotherapy or psychotropic medications started/dose changed in past month (psychotherapy started and/or current medication at stable dose ≥ 4 weeks are permitted) 8. Medical conditions contraindicated for mBLT (e.g., epilepsy/seizures)
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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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University of Michigan
RECRUITINGAnn Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a pill ease severe postpartum depression?
- Could more doula visits ease postpartum depression?
- A healing hand: could Doula-Midwife teams transform postpartum recovery for NICU moms?
- Magnetic pulses to the brain: a Drug-Free hope for peripartum depression?
- Can a Three-Day pill ease postpartum depression?
- A 45-Minute talk after childbirth could cut postpartum depression risk