Maternal fetal medicine (MFM)
Find a doctorSometimes routine prenatal care may not be enough to support the health of both you and your baby. If your pregnancy needs extra attention, our maternal fetal medicine (MFM) specialists are here for you. They provide expert, compassionate care focused on reducing complications and supporting a safe delivery for you and your baby.
What is a high-risk pregnancy?
A pregnancy is considered high-risk when you or your baby may have a higher chance of health complications. This can relate to symptoms you’re experiencing, existing or new health conditions or other factors such as age or lifestyle.
Examples include gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm labor, multiple pregnancies and fetal abnormalities.
If your pregnancy is high-risk, you may need additional testing or more frequent visits so your care team can monitor you and your baby closely.
What is maternal fetal medicine?
Maternal fetal medicine is a specialized branch of obstetrics that focuses on managing pregnancies that need specialized care or closer monitoring. You may be referred if you have a pre-existing condition, complicated pregnancy or if a concern comes up during routine care.
MFM specialists, also called perinatologists, have advanced training in diagnosing, treating and monitoring conditions that may affect you or your baby before, during or after pregnancy.
How is maternal fetal medicine different from OB-GYN?
OB-GYNs provide comprehensive care for women throughout their reproductive years, including pregnancy, labor and delivery. Maternal fetal medicine specialists are OB-GYNs with additional training. They work closely with your OB-GYN to ensure the best possible outcomes for both you and your baby.
What services does maternal fetal medicine provide?
Maternal fetal medicine offers a range of services to support you and your baby during high-risk pregnancy. Our MFM specialists use advanced testing and extra monitoring to guide care at every stage. Services may include:
- Care for multiple pregnancies, such as twins or triplets
- Coordination with obstetric and pediatric specialists
- Detailed ultrasounds and imaging
- Education and counseling
- Fetal growth monitoring
- Fetal therapy to treat conditions before birth
- Genetic testing and counseling
- Management of high-risk conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes
- Personalized birth and delivery plans
- Preconception counseling
Symptoms, conditions and risk factors for a high-risk pregnancy
Knowing what to watch for can help you get the right care early and support a safer pregnancy for you and baby. If you have any concerning symptoms or know you have a condition that may affect your pregnancy, reach out to your care team.
Symptoms that may signal a concern during pregnancy
- Decreased movement from your baby
- High fever
- Ongoing abdominal pain or cramping
- Severe or persistent headaches
- Shortness of breath or chest pain
- Sudden swelling in your face, hands or feet
- Vision changes, such as blurriness or seeing spots
- Vaginal bleeding or fluid leakage
Health conditions that can increase your risk
- Autoimmune disorders
- Diabetes, including gestational diabetes
- Heart or lung conditions
- High blood pressure, including preeclampsia
- Hormonal disorders, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Kidney disease
- Obesity
- Thyroid conditions
Other factors that make a pregnancy high-risk
- Age under 17 or over 35
- Certain infections, including Zika or listeria
- Fetal concerns on ultrasound or screening
- History of preterm birth or pregnancy loss
- Placenta issues like placenta previa
- Smoking, alcohol consumption or drug use
Your multidisciplinary team for high-risk pregnancy
When you’re faced with a high-risk pregnancy, you want experts who specialize in a full range of medical fields so you can get the specialized care you and your baby deserve before, during and after birth. Our maternal fetal medicine teams provide access to specialists who could include:
- Clinical nurse specialists, registered nurses, social workers and home health care coordinators
- Experts in counseling before pregnancy, genetic counseling, diabetes counseling, education and co-management
- Leading imaging and ultrasound technicians
- Neonatologists and other pediatric subspecialists
- Providers with extensive experience in neonatal intensive care
Our birthing centers have Level II or Level III NICUs to provide any high-tech care your newborn may need.
Learn more about our diagnostic services
Our high-risk pregnancy and maternal fetal medicine services include:
- Genetic testing: Including first-trimester screenings, chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis.
- Genetic counseling: Including evaluation if you’re preparing to be a mother over 35, if you already have children or family members with a genetic problem or birth defect, or if you have a high-risk pregnancy that was found through prenatal blood tests or ultrasound.
- First trimester screening: For birth defects using early ultrasound, second trimester detailed sonography to screen for birth defects and third trimester screening to check the baby’s size, the amount of amniotic fluid and placental flow.
- Prebirth (antenatal) ultrasound testing: Such as nonstress testing to check the baby's heart rate, biophysical profile to determine the baby’s well-being and amniotic fluid assessment to see how much fluid surrounds your baby.
- Special consultation: During or before pregnancy if you have medical complications such as diabetes, chronic hypertension, renal disease, obstetrical or surgical conditions or a history of difficult pregnancies.
- Condition management: Experienced, specialized care for women with gestational diabetes, thyroid disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or other endocrine issues.
Advanced ultrasounds
Your maternal fetal medicine specialists may perform ultrasounds that provide an in-depth look at your baby’s development. These ultrasounds can include:
- First-trimester screening ultrasound: To check for birth defects and chromosomal conditions.
- Second-trimester anatomy scan: To examine your baby’s organs, growth and overall development.
- Doppler ultrasound: To assess blood flow in the umbilical cord and placenta.
- Biophysical profile (BPP): To evaluate your baby’s movements, breathing and amniotic fluid levels. These advanced imaging techniques help detect potential issues early, allowing for timely medical intervention if necessary.
Neonatal intensive care units (NICU)
If your baby is born prematurely or has other health risks, we have NICUs that provide high level care.
Our Level II NICUs are equipped to handle newborn complications with onsite 24/7 neonatal nurse practitioners – nurses who have advanced training and certification in newborn, high-risk care. We offer immediate response to any neonatal emergency and are supported by on-call neonatologists 24/7.
Our Level III NICUs provide round-the-clock care from neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners and respiratory therapists. They offer the highest level of neonatal care to infants born with complex or life-threatening conditions.
Get care
We help you live well. And we’re here for you in person and online.