Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Maternal-fetal medicine (also known as perinatology) is a subspecialty of obstetrics that focuses on managing health concerns of the mother and baby prior to, during and shortly after pregnancy.

If you are pregnant and have a chronic health issue — such as heart or kidney disease, cancer or an autoimmune disease — maternal-fetal physicians can help you stay as healthy as possible while your body changes and your baby grows.

If you’re healthy when you become pregnant but face an unexpected problem that develops during your pregnancy, your obstetrician may refer you to maternal-fetal medicine specialists.

The types of maternal conditions that might require specialized care from maternal-fetal physicians include:

• Chronic medical conditions such as heart or kidney disease, hypertension, autoimmune disease, diabetes or cancer
• Unexpected problems that develop during pregnancy, such as bleeding or high blood pressure
• High risk for preterm labor, preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, gestational diabetes, placenta previa or multiples (birth of twins, triplets or more)

In other cases, it’s the baby who faces challenges. If doctors discover a birth defect or growth problem, maternal-fetal medicine specialists can begin caring for your baby before he or she is even born. Interventions might include close monitoring, blood transfusions or surgery to support your baby until his or her arrival in the world.

Specialist Care for High-Risk Pregnancies

Physicians who specialize in maternal-fetal medicine are obstetrician-gynecologists who have additional years of training in assessing and managing high-risk pregnancies. The obstetrician-gynecologists at Fetal Care Center Dallas are all certified by the American Board of Obstetrician Gynecologists or the American Osteopathic Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Our maternal-fetal medicine specialists have training in areas including obstetric ultrasound, invasive prenatal diagnosis using amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling, and the management of high-risk pregnancies.

From prenatal diagnosis to delivery and follow-up care, our maternal-fetal medicine physicians offer a variety of services and work in collaboration with your primary obstetrician throughout your pregnancy and delivery to streamline your care.