Perinatal Behavioral Health · Ancillary Services

The maternal mental health crisis is treatable. We treat it.

Mood and anxiety disorders are one of the biggest gaps in maternity care. Mental health is now the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related death in the United States.1 Ouma pairs universal screening with real perinatal mental health specialists. Women living with a silent, treatable illness are found and cared for within days.

Care throughout pregnancy and the full first year postpartum· Perinatal mental health NPs· Reproductive psychiatry for complex cases· MFM-supervised· 50 states· 24/7/365

1. CDC Maternal Mortality Review Committees.

#11
cause: mental health conditions are now the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related death in the U.S.
>80%1
of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable
~1 in 52
perinatal individuals experience a mood or anxiety disorder (PMAD)
~75%2
of those go untreated

1. CDC Maternal Mortality Review Committees.   2. Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health / MMHLA.

The silent-disease gap

A disease nobody was looking for

4 in 51 More than 4 in 5 pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. Depression and anxiety are among the most preventable of all, if someone screens and someone acts.

For decades, the deadliest risks in pregnancy were hemorrhage and hypertension. That has changed. Today, mental health conditions, including suicide and overdose, are the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related death in the country.1

These deaths are not driven by untreatable illness. They are driven by illness that goes unseen.

Everyone in maternity is busier than ever, and screening for mood disorders is the thing that quietly falls off the visit. So women carry a silent illness that no one has named.

It follows them through pregnancy, through delivery, and into a postpartum period when they are most vulnerable and least likely to ask for help.

1. CDC Maternal Mortality Review Committees.

100% of members screened for mood disorders
~1 in 3 of diagnosed mood disorders were previously unknown to the local provider
What universal screening actually finds

When Ouma launched its Medicaid program, we made a decision most practices cannot: screen 100% of members for mood disorders. For roughly a third of the patients we diagnosed with a mood disorder, their local provider had never known about it, and nothing had been done. These were not new illnesses. They were illnesses no one had gone looking for.

Timeliness is the other half of the job. Ouma gets these patients to care the same day or within a couple of days. That is a meaningful quality measure, and it is also a kindness.

See what screening surfaces

‡ Ouma program data.

The care team

Not a coaching app. Not a peer chat line.

Behavioral health at Ouma is a real clinical team, built specifically for the perinatal period and backed by subspecialty medicine.

Perinatal Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs)

Your patient's primary behavioral-health clinician.

  • Assess, diagnose, and treat perinatal mood and anxiety disorders as a dedicated team
  • Trained specifically for pregnancy and postpartum, including the medication questions unique to this period
  • Relationship-based: the same clinician across the journey wherever possible

MFM Supervision & Collaboration

Subspecialty medicine behind every plan.

  • Work under the supervision of and in collaboration with a maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) physician
  • Keep behavioral-health care coordinated with the realities of a high-risk or complex pregnancy
  • Built on the same MFM-led model that defines every Ouma service line

Reproductive Psychiatry

For the cases beyond everyone's comfort.

  • Available for complex presentations that exceed the team's and the referring provider's comfort level
  • Ensure escalation happens inside the program, not as a dead-end referral out
  • Add depth on demand, without the patient having to start over somewhere new
Scope of care

What this program helps with, and what it provides

Ouma behavioral health covers the whole perinatal window. Patients have access throughout pregnancy and through the entire first year postpartum, up to 12 months.

What this program helps with

Common presentations we are built for, for patients who are pregnant or postpartum.

  • Anxiety related to pregnancy or postpartum adjustment
  • Postpartum mood changes or depressive symptoms
  • Adjustment to early motherhood and the transition to parenting
  • Stress, overwhelm, and difficulty coping
  • Sleep disruption tied to mood or anxiety
  • Intrusive thoughts without intent or safety concerns
  • Distress related to fertility, pregnancy complications, or birth experiences

What this program provides

Real clinical care, delivered by perinatal specialists with shared decision-making.

  • Psychiatric evaluation and medication management when appropriate
  • Brief supportive counseling and coping-skill development
  • Co-management of complex mood and anxiety disorders
  • Prevention plans and follow-up for high-risk patients
  • Guidance on perinatal mental health resources
  • Coordination with obstetric and primary-care teams

‡ Ouma program data.

Why telemedicine fits this specialty

Principles we practice by

A cognitive specialty, built for telehealth.

Behavioral health is a talking specialty. There is no exam, nothing to touch or palpate. That makes it one of the few areas of medicine where telemedicine is an ideal fit rather than a compromise.

Easier to show up for.

No waiting room, no drive to find the one perinatal therapist in the region, and care that works around a new mother's schedule from home. Removing those barriers is often the difference between a patient attending and a patient disappearing.

Real clinicians, real continuity.

Every patient is matched with a licensed perinatal mental health specialist, not a coach or a chatbot, and sees the same clinician across the journey. As clinicians ourselves, we extend your team and protect the relationship you have with your patient.

For clinics & providers

We are not a separate provider. We are an extension of your team.

Your clinic identifies and schedules the patients. Ouma stands up the behavioral-health capacity behind them, on your systems and in your workflow.

Plug-and-play on your systems.

A solution that works in your environment and on your systems, so behavioral health integrates into the care you already deliver.

Scalable virtual clinics.

Stand up Ouma virtual clinics sized to your need, starting in half-day blocks and scaling as demand grows.

Prescribing clinicians in every state.

Licensed clinicians who can prescribe in all 50 states, so medication management is never gated by geography.

Coordinated, not siloed.

We co-manage with your obstetric and primary-care teams and share decisions, protecting the relationship you have with your patient.

See how Ouma fits your workflow

How we practice responsibly

The right care, in the right setting

What this program is built for

Ouma's perinatal behavioral health program is designed for mild-to-moderate perinatal mood and anxiety. For most perinatal depression and anxiety, this is exactly the right level of care.

  • Mild-to-moderate perinatal mood and anxiety disorders
  • Patients who are medically stable
  • Patients appropriate for outpatient telehealth
  • Care that is timely, specialized, and accessible
  • The right level of care for most perinatal depression and anxiety

When we route to a higher level of care

Some situations need in-person, higher-acuity, or emergency care. We coordinate rapid routing to local or higher-acuity care for patients who have:

  • Active suicidal ideation with intent, plan, or past attempt
  • A major mental-health event in the past year (psychiatric hospitalization or suicide attempt)
  • An active eating disorder
  • An active manic episode or a history of Bipolar I
  • Psychosis (hallucinations or delusional thinking)
  • A history of schizophrenia or psychotic disorders

Knowing this line is part of practicing good perinatal psychiatry. We meet patients where telehealth serves them best, and we make sure the ones who need more get there quickly.

How we handle a safety concern

Ouma maintains a formal telehealth crisis protocol. When a safety concern surfaces during a visit, our clinicians follow a structured risk assessment using validated tools and coordinate an immediate 911 or 988 response as needed. Safety is built into how we practice, not left to chance.

In a crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), 24/7. In a medical emergency, call 911.

‡ Ouma program data.

Pairs well with

Behavioral health touches nearly every part of the maternity journey

Mental health rarely stands alone in pregnancy. These Ouma services share the same care team and screening, so emotional wellbeing is supported alongside the medical picture.

Who this is for

Built for the people responsible for maternal mental health

‡ Ouma program data.

Sources

  1. CDC Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs). Mental health conditions, including suicide and overdose, are the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related death in the U.S.; more than 4 in 5 (>80%) of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.
  2. Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health / MMHLA. About 1 in 5 perinatal individuals experience a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder (PMAD); up to ~75% go untreated.
  3. Ouma program data: universal screening of members, screening and diagnosis findings, time to first behavioral-health appointment, coverage window, crisis protocol, and quality-measure impact.