WellTheory, a whole-person care platform focused on autoimmune disease, has launched a new Postpartum Program aimed at supporting women whose autoimmune symptoms emerge or worsen following childbirth.
The San Francisco-based company announced the programme this week, citing growing evidence that hormonal shifts after pregnancy can trigger autoimmune flare-ups or lead to new diagnoses. Autoimmune disease affects more than 50 million people in the US, with women accounting for 80 percent of patients.
Pregnancy and childbirth represent some of the most significant hormonal changes in a woman’s life. While postpartum medical care often ends within weeks of delivery, hormonal changes can continue for months, a period when symptoms frequently intensify.
“We’ve seen this pattern repeatedly in our patient population—women who were managing their health before pregnancy suddenly experience new or worsening symptoms after giving birth,” said Ellen Rudolph, CEO and Co-Founder of WellTheory. “When postpartum hormonal changes are treated as part of autoimmune care, women are better able to manage symptoms and return to feeling like themselves. This program puts structure around the care our teams have already been providing and ensures women have support during a period that’s often overlooked.”
The Postpartum Program offers personalised care plans based on clinical research, ongoing one-on-one support from autoimmune and hormonal health specialists, and advanced hormonal testing when appropriate. This includes assessments of sex hormones, cortisol levels and their metabolites, which can help identify root causes linked to conditions such as postpartum depression.
The initiative builds on WellTheory’s existing care model. According to the company’s most recent outcomes report, employees with autoimmune disease reported fewer symptoms interfering with work and daily life after receiving WellTheory’s whole-person support.
“My own wife went through this during the postpartum period, which made it clear how little support exists for women at this stage,” said Wallace Torres, Co-Founder of WellTheory. “This program is rooted in what we’ve seen firsthand and what women have been asking for.”
Women represent more than 70 percent of WellTheory’s patient population, and the company has seen rising demand from women managing hormonal changes after childbirth. The Postpartum Program follows the launch of WellTheory’s Hormonal Health Program, which supports women with autoimmune disease alongside conditions including PCOS, endometriosis and menopause.
The new programme also targets an area of increasing focus for employers: supporting women as they return to work during the postpartum period. While traditional healthcare support may have ended, autoimmune and hormonal symptoms often persist. WellTheory positions the programme as a way for employers to provide ongoing, whole-person care during this transition, helping women remain healthy and engaged at work.
About WellTheory:
WellTheory is a virtual care platform reversing the autoimmune epidemic by filling the gaps left behind in traditional healthcare. WellTheory offers a research-backed proprietary program that addresses the root cause of autoimmunity and treats the whole person with the aim to reduce symptoms, improve quality of life, and lower costs. WellTheory’s platform centers around evidence-based, high-touch care led by an interdisciplinary team of autoimmune experts, including licensed registered dietitians and board-certified health coaches. It’s an anti-symptom-masking model that goes beyond the pill, built by autoimmune patients and validated by decades of clinical research.
