Yuzi Care founder Steph Foley. | Photo courtesy Steph Foley
What you probably already know: One in eight women in the United States experiences postpartum depression — a mood disorder that can, if left untreated, negatively impact child development and a mother’s ability to care for her child. Despite its increasing prevalence, the first pill specifically designed to treat its symptoms only recently became available. Thousands of women have since tried zuranolone (brand name Zurzuvae), with varying degrees of success: Clinical trials found some women who use the drug get relief from symptoms in just days, while standard antidepressants take weeks or months. For mothers, the pill offers more than potential relief — it denotes a shift in the narrative surrounding postpartum health care and validation for those who have long sat in the shadow of harmful stigma.
Why? Societal misconceptions about motherhood, fear of judgment, and cultural taboos about mental health can all influence a woman’s decision to seek care for postpartum depression. But the existence of a specific treatment lowers the barrier to care and reinforces the fact that postpartum mental illness is real, says Steph Foley, founder and CEO of Yuzi Care, an AI-driven platform that helps connect families with perinatal care. “Zuranolone signals to mothers that their experience is valid and treatable,” Foley says. “While it’s early days for zuranolone, the promise of a fast-acting, targeted solution gives a lot of hope to mothers who often feel like they’re suffering in silence.”
What it means: Foley cautions that a pill isn’t a comprehensive solution. “Medication can be a powerful tool, but it must be paired with ongoing support — physical, emotional, and social,” she says. “Mothers need a village, but we’ve dismantled it. What’s missing is a coordinated system of care after birth. Most women are discharged from the hospital and left to figure it out alone.”
Women are too often expected to “bounce back” on their own, even if they’re grappling with more subtle postpartum depression symptoms of hormonal imbalance, feelings of overwhelm, and disconnection. Foley says she can tell within 15 minutes if mothers are suffering once they visit Yuzi. “I’ve spoken to dozens of OB-GYNs, pediatricians, and midwives. They know, too. But they’re drowning. They don’t have the time, infrastructure, or mental health pathways to catch these women before they fall through the cracks,” she says. “Zuranolone won’t fix everything, but it opens the door. And once the door is open, it’s our job to meet moms on the other side — with real care, real systems, and real change.”
What happens now? Zuranolone doesn’t work for all women, and further research is needed to understand who might benefit from taking it. It’s also not the only drug that targets postpartum depression. Brexanolone was the first such drug to be approved by the FDA in 2019 and is a neuroactive steroid, like zuranolone, but is administered as an intravenous infusion. Foley’s hope is that these treatments, when combined with care models, will usher in a long-overdue era of care that meets all of a mother’s needs. “Yes, we’ve been giving birth for millennia, but suffering in silence shouldn’t be part of the tradition,” she says. “Just because it's common doesn’t mean it’s OK. We don't use leeches in medicine anymore either, because we’ve evolved. It’s time postpartum care did, too.”