Between the changes in your body, the hormones and the general stress of the unknown—for many people—the ‘glow’ of pregnancy is actually just an ever-present, glistening layer of sweat. All any parent-to-be wants to know is what is going on. When things get complicated, sometimes it takes a specialist to answer that question. A maternal-fetal medicine specialist (MFM), also known as a perinatologist, is an obstetrician who has additional education, training and experience in the care of obstetrical, medical, genetic and surgical complications during pregnancy and their effects on both the mother and fetus.

WHA’s maternal-fetal medicine specialists work at our two Northwest Perinatal Centers in Portland; one near Providence St. Vincent Medical Center on the west side and the other near Providence Portland Medical Center on the east side. They are board-certified OB/GYN physicians and surgeons and are sub-specialty board-certified in the area of maternal-fetal medicine, which requires two to three years of training after a basic residency and passing an additional written and oral examination.

The physicians of Northwest Perinatal Center see patients for:

• Pre-pregnancy counseling, high-resolution ultrasound, genetic screening and counseling. Learn more about genetic screening and counseling >
• Prenatal diagnosis using amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling
• Maternal medical issues during pregnancy, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, history of blood clots or medication exposures
• Pregnancy complications, such as multi-fetal pregnancies, history of prior premature birth, pre-eclampsia, recurrent pregnancy loss, Rh disease and diabetes

Our maternal-fetal medicine specialists may be a resource that your normal obstetric care provider (your OB/GYN physician or nurse-midwife) uses to provide additional expertise and counseling during your pregnancy—or it may be someone you see for your care throughout pregnancy, alone or together with visits to your primary obstetric care provider. Regardless of your needs during pregnancy, our team works together to provide the right kind of support and care for you.