High-Risk Pregnancy Care
Find high-quality, comprehensive care for high-risk pregnancies from maternal-fetal medicine specialists at the Women's & Children's Hospital.
What’s a High-Risk Pregnancy?
Your OB-GYN or provider may refer you to a maternal-fetal medicine doctor if you or your baby are at increased risk for complications during pregnancy or after birth. You might have a high-risk pregnancy if you:
- Are over 35 years old
- Are pregnant with twins, triplets or more
- Have a chronic (long-term) health condition
- Had previous pregnancy complications such as:
- Repeated pregnancy loss (miscarriage or stillbirth)
- Preterm delivery, when birth happens too early in a pregnancy
- Trial of labor after cesarean delivery (TOLAC)
A maternal-fetal medicine doctor may join your care team if your unborn baby is diagnosed with anemia, birth abnormality, growth problems, infection or other conditions. Our fetal heart team monitors and treats heart conditions in your baby before he or she is even born.
Maternal Conditions We Treat
Rely on us for pregnancy care if you have a pre-existing condition or develop a health condition during pregnancy, including:
- Asthma or other lung diseases
- Autoimmune disorders
- Blood diseases, Rh incompatibility or clotting disorder
- Cancer
- Cervix insufficiency
- Diabetes, gestational diabetes and endocrine disorders
- Heart and vascular diseases or chronic high blood pressure
- Injury or trauma during pregnancy
- Genetic diseases
- Neurologic disorders and seizures
- Obesity
- Placenta accreta and percreta
- Premature rupture of membranes (PPROM)
- Zika virus
Learn more about diabetes and pregnancy through our Texas Diabetes Institute education class.
What’s a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist?
Maternal-fetal medicine specialists provide advanced care for you and your developing baby if you have complications during your pregnancy.
The maternal-fetal medicine specialists at the Women's & Children's Hospital have additional training to use the best medical care and treatment for your condition, share their advanced clinical expertise and respect your individual needs and choices.
Highly Skilled Care
Feel confident you’ll receive complete care at the Women's & Children's Hospital. As an American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and state-designated Level IV maternal care facility, we have experienced, board-certified specialists for pregnant and postpartum patients in South Texas.
The Women's & Children's Hospital is a regional perinatal referral center for South Texas. That means you’ll have 24/7 access to:
- Advanced imaging technology
- Dedicated emergency center for OB-GYN patients
- Exceptional obstetric, maternal-fetal medicine and peri- and neonatal care
- Onsite maternal-fetal medicine, surgical, acute and critical care specialists
Combined Expertise
Through our partnership with UT Health San Antonio, you’ll benefit from access to expert providers. Ensure your best pregnancy outcome by partnering with a team of maternal-fetal medicine, neonatal care and pediatric specialists during your pregnancy, delivery and after birth. We also work closely with critical care, surgical and obstetric anesthesia teams to provide expert care for you and your baby if needed.
Supportive Perinatal Nurse Coordinators
Count on personalized, considerate care from a University Health perinatal nurse coordinator throughout your high-risk pregnancy. Your perinatal coordinator is your advocate. These specially trained nurses:
- Coordinate your medical appointments
- Attend appointments with you, if requested
- Help you ask questions and express your concerns to your medical team
Prenatal Testing & Diagnostics
Depending on your unique needs, your doctor may recommend certain prenatal diagnostic services, including:
- Amniocentesis
- Cell-free fetal DNA screening
- Fetal umbilical cord sampling
- First and second-trimester aneuploidy screening for chromosome abnormalities
- Genetic counseling
- Ultrasound screening of your baby
