Leader in high-risk pregnancy management

Women with special concerns about their pregnancy, delivery or newborn's health can count on the multidisciplinary teams and sophisticated technology at our birthing centers. Our top experts provide the diagnostic testing, monitoring and prenatal care you need to avoid complications and welcome your family's newest addition as safely as possible.

What is a high-risk pregnancy?

High-risk mothers include those with high blood pressure, diabetes, genetic risk factors or other complications. High-risk newborns include those with special medical complications or those born too early, too small or too fragile to survive without specialized care.

To schedule an appointment, call 800-3-ADVOCATE or use our online search tool to find an OB-GYN near you.

What is maternal-fetal medicine?

Maternal-fetal medicine (sometimes abbreviated as MFM) combines prenatal care of the mother and fetus with continuing care through birth and afterward. Maternal-fetal medicine specialists have extended training in providing specialized care during pregnancies that are complicated by the mother’s or baby’s health concerns.

High-risk pregnancy concerns may be known from the beginning of the pregnancy or they may be discovered during testing given as part of prenatal care. If you’re diagnosed with a high-risk pregnancy, your Advocate Health Care team will work with you to explain what’s going on and support you as you make informed decisions about specialized care for you and your baby.

Advocate birthing centers feature some of the best specialists in maternal-fetal medicine. Our Chicago-area birthing centers are conveniently located near you.

Your multidisciplinary team for high-risk pregnancy

When faced with a high-risk pregnancy, you want experts who specialize in a full range of medical fields so you can get the specialized care you and your baby deserve before, during and after birth. Our maternal-fetal medicine teams provide access to specialists who could include:

• Perinatologists (maternal-fetal medicine specialists), neonatologists (experts on newborns) and other pediatric subspecialists
• Clinical nurse specialists, registered nurses, social workers and home health care coordinators
• Leading imaging and ultrasound technicians
• Experts in counseling before pregnancy, genetic counseling, diabetes counseling, education and co-management
• Physicians with extensive experience in neonatal intensive care

Our birthing centers have Level II or Level III NICUs to provide any high-tech care your newborn may need.

Diagnostic services for high-risk pregnancy

Parenting is full of surprises, but planning for a safe, healthy pregnancy and birth isn't something you want to leave to chance. We offer the most advanced services available to monitor your health and your baby's development during a high-risk pregnancy, including comprehensive genetic, fetal and maternal diagnostics.

Prenatal care for your high-risk pregnancy may include these tests:

• Genetic amniocentesis: Performed between the 14th and 18th week of pregnancy to obtain a sample of amniotic fluid, which is used to test for chromosomal abnormalities and neural tube defects
• Triple screen test: Performed between the 15th and 21st weeks of pregnancy to measure alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels in a mother's blood and assess the risk for related fetal abnormalities
• Fetal monitoring: Can include nonstress tests and biophysical profiles to assess fetal well-being. Monitoring is usually performed once or twice a week, as needed, during the third trimester
• Targeted (level 2) ultrasound: Verifies fetal anatomy for those at risk for specified problems
• Comprehensive ultrasound: Identifies fetal structures, screens for anomalies, and verifies dating and size of the fetus
• Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling (PUBS): Available at only a few medical centers nationally, PUBS removes a sample of fetal blood cells from the umbilical cord to analyze for conditions such as fetal anemia or genetic diseases
• Fetal echocardiography: Assesses the structure and function of the fetal heart

World-class fetal medicine

If your baby is facing a complex fetal condition due to a high-risk pregnancy, you can count on the treatment we provide at our Center for Fetal Care at Advocate Children's Hospital. It's the first program of its kind in Illinois, and it combines world-class experts with the most advanced treatment available in fetal therapy and neonatal care.