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Maternal-fetal medicine physicians specialize in treating women who are at high risk for complications during pregnancy. They work side-by-side with physicians from our Comprehensive Obstetrics and Gynecology Program as well as community obstetricians to provide comprehensive patient care during pregnancy.
We provide ambulatory consultative services in Professional Office Building 2 on the campus of UT Southwestern Medical Center as well as in our satellite office at Children’s Medical Center Legacy in Plano. In-patient services are provided at UT Southwestern University Hospital, St Paul Building as well as Park Memorial Hospital. In addition, our physicians have affiliations with several area hospitals in Collin County where we are available to assist obstetricians in caring for women with pregnancy complications.
In most cases, women with a high-risk pregnancy return to their obstetrician after consultation and development of a plan for care. But in some circumstances, patients are transferred to the care of the maternal-fetal medicine doctors for delivery of their infants. Referrals are open to women throughout Texas and the southwestern United States.
Examples of maternal-fetal medicine services provided at UT Southwestern include:
- high-resolution and 3- and 4-dimensional ultrasound;
- testing for genetic problems using amniocentesis, and chorionic villous sampling (CVS), and fetal blood sampling;
- advanced treatment options including intrauterine transfusion and fetal shunt placement;
genetic counseling, including carrier testing by members of a team of genetic counselors, maternal-fetal medicine staff, and cytogeneticists; and
coordination of consultations with specialists in pediatrics at Children’s Medical Center Dallas or Children’s Medical Center Legacy in Plano prior to the baby’s birth.
Diagnosis and treatment for some medical conditions affecting the baby can be performed before birth. Among the services available are:
- fetal blood sampling;
- intrauterine transfusions; and
- fetal shunt placement.
Care after birth is as important as care before birth. A level III Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery at UT Southwestern University Hospital, St Paul Building is staffed by pediatric neonatologists and neonatal nurse practitioners who are ready, if necessary, to take over the baby's care after delivery. In addition, a newly opened level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit located at Children’s Medical Center Dallas is well suited for the care of infants who require surgery soon after birth.
