Maternal-Fetal Medicine

The Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinic is a comprehensive practice that serves Alaska Native and American Indian women and their families who have high-risk pregnancies. MFM providers offer compassionate care for pregnant women with chronic health conditions and unexpected problems during pregnancy while their body changes and their baby grows. The clinic collaborates with the expecting mother, her family, and her medical team to achieve the best possible outcome.  

Services 

Maternal-fetal medicine providers (perinatologists) are high-risk pregnancy experts specializing in non-routine pregnancies. A MFM provider is an OB-GYN who has completed an additional two to three years of education and clinical experience to develop specialized skills to help both the mother and baby. The extra training allows the provider to conduct and interpret research on new approaches for pregnancy problems. Through educational courses, development of clinical protocols, and research, they share their knowledge of optimal care for complicated pregnancies. The clinic’s goal is to improve outcomes for mothers and babies.  

The team includes registered nurse case managers who have specialized training in obstetrics and gynecology, labor and delivery, and fetal monitoring. The clinic has two registered diagnostic medical sonographers, certified by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography, who are specially trained in prenatal ultrasound to offer the highest-quality prenatal diagnosis. 

The clinic includes the services of a certified genetic counselor. Genetic counselors work with pregnant women and their families who have an increased chance of having a baby with a birth defect or genetic condition. During pregnancy, if the baby is found to have a birth defect or genetic condition, the counselor will help the family understand the medical information, what to expect, how to prepare, and pregnancy options. The genetic counselor is able to take a detailed family history and offer appropriate genetic screening and testing options.  

Some of the conditions that we see and evaluate include: 

• Pre-conception evaluation 
• History of pregnancy complications 
• Fetal abnormalities 
• Antepartum testing 
• Evaluation and management of medical diseases during pregnancy 
• Cardiac, pulmonary, renal 
• Hepatic 
• Endocrine 
• Neurologic 
• Diabetes 
• Collagen-vascular disease 
• Hematologic and coagulation abnormalities 
• Infectious diseases 
• Multiple gestation 
• Habitual abortion 
• Management of iso-immunization in pregnancy 
• Other complex medical conditions 

The clinic offers the following screenings and examinations utilizing state-of-the-art ultrasound GE Voluson E8/E10 equipment: 

• First trimester screening (certified by the Fetal Medicine Foundation and Nuchal Translucency Quality Review) 
• Obstetrical Sonography: high resolution 2-D, 3-D, and 4-D imaging to diagnose congenital and genetic abnormalities 
• Fetal growth assessments and surveillance (estimated fetal weight, biophysical profile, fetal Doppler, amniotic fluid volume assessment) 
• Ultrasound assessment of the cervix 
• Fetal echocardiography: detailed evaluation of the fetal heart to diagnose congenital anomalies and fetal arrhythmias. We work with pediatric cardiologists from Seattle Children’s Hospital to help diagnose and plan prenatal, delivery and post-delivery care 
• Antenatal testing/fetal surveillance: non-stress testing, bedside biophysical profile, and amniotic fluid volume assessment