More About Perinatologists

Perinatologists are specifically trained in the care of pregnant women who have special medical problems (such as heart or kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes, and thrombophilia to name a few). Pregnant women who are at risk for pregnancy-related complications also benefit from seeing a Perinatologist. These conditions include preterm labor, pre-eclampsia, twin or triplet pregnancies, and pregnant women with fetuses at risk. Fetuses may be at risk because of chromosomal or congenital abnormalities, maternal disease, infections, genetic diseases, and growth restriction.

Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists have training in obstetric ultrasound, invasive prenatal diagnosis using amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling, and the management of high-risk pregnancies. They are also trained in the field of fetal diagnosis and perform advanced procedures such as targeted fetal assessment using ultrasound and Doppler, fetal blood sampling and transfusion, fetoscopy, and open fetal surgery.

The field of maternal-fetal medicine is one of the most rapidly evolving fields in medicine. Research is being carried out in the field of fetal gene and stem cell therapy in the hope of providing early treatment for genetic disorders, open fetal surgery for the correction of birth defects like congenital heart disease, and the prevention of pre-eclampsia.

In extreme cases, pregnancies have led to maternal mortality and morbidity. These concerns should be addressed by Perinatologists, because these specialists are trained to treat complex  pregnancy issues such as pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction.