accessPerinatal 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 conditions are now the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related death in the United States.1
Ouma pairs universal screening with real perinatal mental health specialists, so patients living with a silent, treatable illness are found and cared for within days.
The Silent-Disease Gap
A disease nobody was looking for
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 patients 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.
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 NPs (PMHNPs)
Your patient's primary behavioral-health clinician.
- Assess, diagnose, and treat perinatal mood and anxiety disorders
- 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 an 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, throughout pregnancy and the entire first year postpartum, up to 12 months.3
What this program helps with
Common presentations we're built for.
- Anxiety related to pregnancy or postpartum adjustment
- Postpartum mood changes or depressive symptoms
- Adjustment to life with a newborn and the transition to parenting
- Stress, overwhelm, and difficulty coping
- Sleep disruption tied to mood or anxiety
- Distress related to fertility, pregnancy complications, or birth experiences
What this program provides
Real clinical care, by perinatal specialists.
- 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
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, 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 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 your patient relationship.
How We Practice Responsibly
The right care, in the right setting
What this program is built for
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
When we route to a higher level of care
Some situations need in-person, higher-acuity, or emergency care. We coordinate rapid routing for patients who have:
- Active suicidal ideation with intent, plan, or past attempt
- A major mental-health event in the past year (hospitalization or attempt)
- An active eating disorder
- An active manic episode or a history of Bipolar I
- Psychosis, or a history of schizophrenia or psychotic disorders
Safety by design
How we handle a safety concern
Ouma maintains a formal telehealth crisis protocol. When a safety concern surfaces, 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.3
In a crisis, call or text 988, 24/7. In a medical emergency, call 911.
Diving Deeper
Perinatal mental health, delivered by licensed clinicians
Perinatal mental health is specialty care for the mood and anxiety conditions that arise during pregnancy and the first year postpartum. Ouma treats it as real medical care: standardized perinatal depression screening, licensed psychiatric nurse practitioners who can prescribe in all 50 states, and integration with the patient's maternity care team. That depth and continuity is what maternal mental health demands, and it pairs with remote patient monitoring and coverage for health plans and their members. For a plain-language overview, see perinatal mental health: signs, screening, and support.
Screening for perinatal depression and anxiety
Universal, standardized screening (such as the EPDS) surfaces perinatal depression and anxiety that routine visits miss, so treatment can start early rather than after a crisis.
Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs)
Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are the most common complication of pregnancy. Ouma's clinicians diagnose and treat the full range of PMADs, from anxiety and depression to more complex presentations.
Postpartum depression support
Postpartum depression care continues through the full first year after delivery, when risk peaks and local follow-up often lapses.
Medication management by psychiatric nurse practitioners
Ouma's psychiatric nurse practitioners provide medication management and therapy coordination, with reproductive psychiatry available for complex cases, all licensed and prescribing across all 50 states.
Frequently asked
Common questions about perinatal behavioral health
Our clinical team can show how behavioral health integrates with your maternity care.
What is perinatal mental health?
Who provides virtual maternal mental health care at Ouma?
Does the program include postpartum depression screening?
How long does behavioral health support last?
Is Ouma a separate mental-health vendor?
What does the program treat, and how is medication handled?
What is perinatal mental health care?
Who provides Ouma's perinatal mental health services?
Let’s Talk
Perinatal mental health, integrated.
Our clinical team can show how behavioral health integrates with your maternity care.
Expert maternity telehealth, extending the reach of subspecialty clinicians to every patient who needs it.