Reasons to See a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Sub-specialist
The most common reason for a woman seeing MFM sub-specialist is that she is considered at risk for 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
- Infectious 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