The Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine

The Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC is proud to offer care from some of the leading national and international experts in preterm birth and high-risk pregnancy research. This level of expertise enables our doctors to provide patients with state-of-the-art care. The maternal fetal medicine staff at Magee is prepared to guide you through your pregnancy.

Our maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) sub-specialists provide comprehensive high-risk pregnancy care. We provide preconception consultation for women planning pregnancy who may have high-risk concerns. During pregnancy, we see women during consultations, share care with their primary obstetric provider, and provide complete prenatal care. We strongly encourage all pregnant women to regularly consult with their primary obstetric provider throughout their pregnancy for optimal prenatal care.

At Magee, we provide maternal fetal medicine care and consultation 24 hours a day seven days a week. Many times, pregnant women require urgent care, but may not be in Pittsburgh when an emergency happens. For these women, we can arrange hospital-to-hospital transport to Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, to receive care from our experts.

Reasons to see a maternal-fetal medicine sub-specialist

The most common reasons for a woman seeing MFM sub-specialist is that she is considered at risk for preterm birth or complications during pregnancy. There are several reasons why a woman may experience complications during pregnancy, these reasons may classify her as high-risk and can be caused by medical and surgical disorders during pregnancy. These disorders include, but are not limited to:

  • heart disease
  • high blood pressure
  • pre-eclamsia (toxemia)
  • diabetes
  • thyroid disorders
  • kidney disease
  • gastrointestinal disease
  • infections diseases

Healthy women may also need to see a MFM sub-specialist. The following are reasons a healthy woman without medical or surgical disorders may need to see a MFM sub-specialist, all of these reasons create the potential for preterm birth and complications:

  • pregnant with multiple babies (twins, triplets, or more)
  • recurrent pregnancy loss
  • suspected fetal growth restriction (baby not growing properly)
  • evidence of possible birth defects

Important information for patients

A birth is considered preterm if it occurs more than three weeks before a woman’s due date. Every day, more than 1,400 babies in the U.S. are born preterm. Many will be too small and too sick to go home. Preterm babies face weeks or even months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). These babies face an increased risk of serious medical complications and must be monitored before going home.

Some tests are fairly accurate in identifying women who have an increased risk for premature delivery. Two effective tools used by our MFM sub-specialists are:

Cervical length – Women with a short cervix and those whose cervix becomes short over the course of pregnancy are at increased risk of preterm birth. The length of a woman’s cervix can be measured using vaginal ultrasound. This test is fairly accurate in determining which women are at risk for preterm birth.

Fetal fibronectin– Fibronectin is what attaches the fetal sac to the lining of the uterus. A swab is used to take a sample of vaginal secretions between 22 and 34 weeks of pregnancy and if fibronectin is found, the patient has an increased risk of having a preterm birth. This test shows moderate success in predicting who will not deliver prematurely. In some cases, this test may be combined with a measurement of cervical length to increase accuracy.

Maternal fetal Medicine sub-specialists

A maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) sub-specialist is an individual who has completed a MFM fellowship after completing an obstetrics and gynecology residency upon graduation from medical school. As a result of this training, MFM sub-specialists provide care or consultation for both mother and fetus (unborn baby) during a complicated pregnancy. In addition, MFM sub-specialists provide education and research on the most recent approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of obstetrical problems.

Many obstetricians-gynecologists are also qualified by training and experience to manage complicated pregnancies. MFM sub-specialists work together with obstetricians in providing consultations and co-management or direct care for complicated situations both before and during pregnancy. MFM sub-specialists also function in collaboration with family physicians and certified nurse-midwives. The relationship between your medical providers and the MFM sub-specialist will depend upon your condition and personal circumstances.

Contact Us

If you would like more information or to schedule an appointment to visit with a maternal fetal medicine sub-specialist at Magee, call us at 412-641-MFM1(6361).

Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC
300 Halket St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213