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