Maternal-Fetal Medicine

If you have a high-risk pregnancy, we provide advanced testing and exceptional, well-coordinated care to keep you and your baby safe and healthy. We’re here to help you have a healthy pregnancy while offering supportive, family-focused care.

Our Approach to Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Most pregnancies play out uneventfully over nine months, leaving you with little more than swollen feet and heartburn.

But some health issues can threaten your or your baby’s health, making your pregnancy high risk.

The most common issues that can make your pregnancy high risk include:

• Age 35 or older at your due date
• Pregnant with multiples (twins, triplets)
• History of premature birth or pregnancy complications
• Family history of genetic disorders, such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, and Tay Sachs disease
• Health conditions in the mother, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, or opioid use disorder
• Health conditions that can affect a developing baby, including Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, spina bifida, or structural defects affecting the abdomen, heart, or brain

High-risk pregnancy care at Virtua

Virtua maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) doctors might become part of your care team if you have a high-risk pregnancy.

When you’re in our care, everyone on the MFM team, from the doctors, nurses, and sonographers to the front-desk staff listens, treats, and supports you like you’re part of our family.

Our MFM team provides the following:

• Pre-pregnancy counseling: If you have diabetes or heart disease, we can advise you on optimizing your health before pregnancy.
• Leading-edge prenatal testing and genetic counseling: We offer the most sophisticated prenatal tests and procedures to evaluate your baby's health and development and diagnose genetic disorders. This information helps you and your care team make informed decisions about your pregnancy and delivery.
• Coordinated care with your OB: Virtua’s MFM team becomes a care partner to you and your obstetrician to monitor health concerns and review prenatal tests and ultrasounds. If we need to adjust your treatment or delivery plan, we discuss it together to ensure it meets your needs.

Specialized care to manage chronic conditions

During pregnancy, women with chronic conditions like heart disease or diabetes face unique challenges. These conditions can put an extra strain on your body, worsening your condition and putting you at risk for preterm birth and other complications.

Virtua’s MFM team coordinates your care, so you meet with all your specialists sometimes in one visit. This team may include cardiologists, endocrinologists, pulmonologists, and anesthesiologists.

Our nurse coordinator is your point of contact to help you navigate your care, appointment scheduling, testing, and more.