Maryann Walsh, RD Let’s talk

Home/ISLA Protocol™

Integrated Symptom and Lab Assessment for maternal mental health

The ISLA Protocol™

A free clinical education tool that maps twelve nutrient biomarkers to mood before and after birth, then gives you a plain-English report to discuss with your provider.

Open the ISLA tool How it works

Why it exists

Built by a dietitian who lived it.

One in five mothers experiences a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder, and most are never screened for nutritional contributors.

Maryann has written openly about her own perinatal mental health crisis after becoming a mother. She created the ISLA Protocol, named for her daughter, so that other mothers and their providers would have the nutrition side of the picture in front of them.

Read her story: “I Was One of the Lucky Ones” →

A complement, not a replacement.ISLA is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace medical, nutritional or mental health care. Medication and therapy are often the most appropriate interventions. The tool is not yet validated in a clinical trial.

MoodRoot™ report · examplePostpartum track
Copper : Zinc ratioFlagged
Omega-3 indexFlagged
FerritinSuboptimal
HomocysteineSuboptimal
25-OH Vitamin DOptimal
RBC MagnesiumOptimal
Example reportNot a diagnosis

How it works

Ten questions, your labs, one report.

Two tracks. Prenatal reads labs as risk stratification; postpartum reads them as a root-cause investigation for people who recently delivered or have current mood symptoms.

  1. 01

    Symptom pre-screen

    Ten questions on mood, energy, sleep, anxiety and cognition.

  2. 02

    Lab value entry

    Enter values directly, no account required. Scoring uses functional ranges rather than standard lab ranges.

  3. 03

    MoodRoot™ report

    A color-coded report with what each flag might mean and what to discuss with your provider. Print or save as PDF.

The panel

Twelve markers, in one draw.

Some markers need specific specimen types, such as RBC magnesium and RBC folate. The free printable panel list shows each one for your provider.

01
Copper : Zinc ratio
02
Ceruloplasmin
03
Ferritin
04
25-OH Vitamin D
05
RBC Magnesium
06
Omega-3 index (EPA + DHA)
07
Homocysteine
08
TSH
09
Free T4
10
Serum B12
11
Serum Zinc
12
RBC Folate

The tool

Free, with no account required.

Panel list

A free printable list to bring to your provider. Insurance may cover tests a provider orders.

Complete lab panel

$275 through Fullscript, one Quest Diagnostics draw, results in 3 to 5 business days, FSA and HSA eligible.

For clinicians

Bring ISLA into your practice.

OBs, midwives, psychiatric providers and therapists can use the panel list and report as a shared starting point with patients. Maryann answers clinician questions personally.

Ask about clinical use

If you are struggling right now

  • Postpartum Support International: 1-800-944-4773 (English), 971-203-7773 (Español)
  • National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 1-833-852-6262, free and confidential, 24/7
  • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, 24/7
  • Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741
  • In an emergency, call 911