Maternal Fetal Medicine
Putting technology & expertise to work for mothers & their infants
While most pregnancies are smooth and joyous, some require special attention. Maternal-fetal medicine physicians, also known as perinatologists, are obstetricians who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment and care of expectant mothers and their unborn children when some special circumstances exist. However, it's important to note that referral to a perinatologist doesn’t necessarily mean a pregnancy will be difficult. In most cases, consultation with a perinatologist is a precautionary measure that puts expectant parents' minds at ease.
Referral to a perinatologist may be necessary if an expectant mother has:
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Toxemia or diabetes
- Infectious diseases
- A multiple pregnancy - twins, triplets or more
- A history of recurrent pre-term labor and delivery
- Recurrent pregnancy losses
- Indications that the baby is not growing as expected
Our perinatology capabilities includes:
- Screening for Down's and Trisomy 18
- Amniocentesis
- Targeted Level II ultrasounds
- Management of pregestational and gestational diabetes
- Immune complex disease
- Fetal abnormalities including malformations and placental issues and fetal growth disturbances
- Chorionic villus sampling
Experienced, Specially Trained Board-Certified Perinatologists
In addition to four years of residency training in obstetrics and gynecology, these subspecialists have completed two-to-three additional years of complex training in maternal-fetal medicine. For the benefit of their patients, they typically work in coordination with each expectant mother’s obstetrician. The services our perinatologists can provide include:
- Pre-pregnancy consultations for women with risk factors
- Diabetes care
- Management of multiple gestations
- Level II ultrasound of the fetus
- Genetic amniocentesis
- Care for both the mother and unborn baby in a complicated pregnancy
- Information about and access to the latest treatment options