When Should I See an MFM Specialist?

Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialists treat two patients at the same time, specializing in the care of maternal disease and fetal complications in pregnancy. We partner with you and your family and other doctors that you may be seeing to navigate your pregnancy care safely and help you achieve the best possible outcomes.

You may be referred for a variety of reasons to our office, including your own health conditions or findings on your baby.

We offer a full range of maternal and fetal evaluation and care to make sure you have as much information as possible about your pregnancy concerns.

Some of the ways we typically receive referrals to see women include:

• Preconception Care and Consultation: We provide care for women that are considering pregnancy, and consultations if you and your doctor have a question about a medical condition, medication, or pregnancy issue that needs evaluation and discussion surrounding the best options to manage your care.
• Fetal Evaluation and Care: For routine pregnancy ultrasound or to evaluate conditions that are found at another office or provider.
• Genetic Evaluation and Testing: Women with risk factors, family history, or questions may be seen by an MFM specialist to discuss and undergo pregnancy testing.
• Pregnancy Management: For some women, prenatal care with an MFM specialist is needed for either maternal or fetal conditions.
• Labor and Delivery: MFMs work with other obstetrics providers to ensure high quality care during labor and childbirth. We provide expert advice to your obstetrician on when to induce labor and when and how to monitor the fetal heart rate. Our training provides us with advanced skills for attending complicated births, such as vacuum or forceps-assisted births, breech delivery, twin delivery, complex cesarean birth, or trial of labor after cesarean.
• Transfer from Another Hospital: If you have unexpected complications or issues arise in your pregnancy, you may be transferred from your hospital to the University of Rochester Medical Center for care and possible delivery.