At Mayo Clinic, if you have a high-risk pregnancy, you will be cared for by the fetal and maternal care team.
The maternal and fetal medicine experts at Mayo Clinic offer you the most advanced treatment and care for complex maternal and fetal diseases in pregnancy. The clinic's multidisciplinary team of doctors includes those trained in treating pregnant women with complex problems (maternal-fetal medicine specialists), experts in treating children with congenital conditions (neonatologists, pediatric surgeons, neurosurgeons, urologists, nephrologists, neonatologists) and specialists with extensive experience in fetal surgery. These specialists complement obstetrical care providers and can co-manage complex conditions before or during pregnancy.
A dedicated team of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals ensures the coordinated approach necessary for intrauterine therapy when appropriate and optimal planning for delivery and neonatal care. You will receive support from a compassionate team of providers including dietitians, genetics counselors, social workers and nurse specialists. Perinatal Education offers a class to help prepare families for their newborn's hospitalization in intensive care at Mayo Clinic's campus in Minnesota. This two-hour class is offered monthly or by request through Perinatal Education.
Fetal care team
The doctors, nurses and allied health professionals of the fetal care team use a team-based, multidisciplinary approach to help women experiencing high-risk pregnancies. They use advanced imaging techniques to accurately diagnose babies with birth defects prenatally and connect parents with neonatologists and pediatric subspecialists when needed. This team of experts works with you to develop a treatment plan specific to your situation, such as any needed intrauterine therapy and the route and timing of delivery. Your care team also coordinates a smooth care transition for your baby.
Conditions treated
Tests and procedures
3D fetal ultrasound
3D fetal ultrasound
A 3D fetal ultrasound can detect facial abnormalities or neural tube defects.
Fetal surgery
At Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota, you will find a specialized multidisciplinary fetal surgery team trained to care for women with pregnancies complicated by all forms of fetal distress and abnormalities. Improvements in prenatal testing, imaging and technology have provided maternal-fetal medicine specialists with new tools to address these conditions.
Maternal care team
The maternal care team uses a coordinated, multidisciplinary team approach to help women experiencing high-risk pregnancies. Services include:
- Care and counseling before pregnancy begins (preconception care) for women who have increased medical, surgical or genetic risks
- Integrated care for chronic conditions during pregnancy:
- Obstetric complications:
Research
Researchers of the maternal and fetal medicine specialty group engage in research on the effective use of health care resources to help people who are pregnant. They have advanced the field with research in preterm labor assessment, fetal assessment during maternal surgery, effective use of blood products during pregnancy, decreasing maternal exposure to radiation, placenta previa and abnormal placentation, integration or acculturation, and fetal surgery.
See physician staff
Jan. 14, 2021