Specialized Care for Healthier Pregnancies and Births

Maternal Fetal Medicine physicians specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of women with
complications of pregnancy, preexisting medical conditions that may be impacted by pregnancy
and medical conditions that impact the pregnancy itself. Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists
collaborate with obstetricians in providing consultations, co-management or direct care for
patients with complications both before (pre-conceptional counseling) and during pregnancy.

Driscoll Health System Maternal Fetal Medicine was founded in 2008. Since then, we have
grown to include five maternal-fetal medicine specialists, supported by pediatric cardiology,
genetics, perinatal sonographers and nurses, and a clinical care coordinator, now providing care at seven locations. Our mission is to provide state-of-the-art maternal care, fetal diagnosis and treatment for the women of South Texas.

Services

Noninvasive testing:

Genetic screening
Genetic counseling
Pre-conceptual counseling
Detailed fetal anatomy survey
Doppler studies
Cervical length ultrasound
Antenatal testing
Fetal cardiac echocardiography
Cell-free fetal DNA testing

Invasive testing and fetal procedures:

Amniocentesis
Chorionic villus sampling
Fetal blood sampling
Intrauterine fetal transfusion
Fetal shunt placement

Conditions Treated

Some of the common maternal medical conditions and pregnancy complications managed by our physicians include:

Diabetes
Hypertensive disorders
Cardiac disease
Renal disease
Thyroid disease
Infectious diseases
Preterm labor, including cervical insufficiency and premature rupture of membranes
Placental abnormalities
Recurrent pregnancy loss

Fetal conditions diagnosed and managed by our physicians include:

Multiple gestations
Fetal growth abnormalities
Suspected fetal anomalies
Fetal congenital cardiac defects
Fetal abdominal wall defects
Fetal neural tube defects
Fetal anemia
Intrauterine infections
Genetic disorders, such as Down syndrome

Information for Patients

After Hours and Emergencies
For life-threatening situations, please call 911. If you have an urgent problem, please call our
office for instructions. After hours, our answering service will inform you of how to reach the
physician.

Prescription Refills and Tests
We prefer to refill your medications at the time of your office visit. Please bring your
medication list with you to each appointment. Please give us at least 48-hour
notice on all refill requests.

For test results, please call our office at (361) 980 - 1244 during regular office hours.

Your Medical Records
Medical records are kept confidential. A medical release waiver must be signed to obtain a copy
of your medical records or to have them sent to another healthcare provider. If you are
requesting your records to be sent to another provider, we ask that you supply us with their
name, address and phone number.

Maternal Fetal Medicine Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist?

Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists are doctors who are specially trained to care for women with high-risk pregnancies. Mothers with diseases such as hypertension or diabetes, babies with possible genetic conditions or mothers expecting multiple babies can all benefit from the care of a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist. These doctors receive two to three years of additional training that focuses on high-risk pregnancies, ultrasound techniques and fetal anomalies.

Why would an expectant mother wish to be referred to a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist?

Most women seek consultation from or care by a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist because they are "at risk" and considering becoming pregnant or because they are pregnant and "high-risk," "complicated" or otherwise worried about their pregnancy.

What types of patients are seen by Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists?

Patients undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic procedures during pregnancy, such as:

Comprehensive ultrasound
Chorionic villus sampling
Genetic amniocentesis, fetal surgery or treatment

Women with medical or surgical disorders, such as:

Heart disease
High blood pressure
Preeclampsia (toxemia)
Diabetes or other endocrine disorders
Kidney or gastrointestinal disease
Infectious diseases

Healthy women whose pregnancy is at markedly increased risk for adverse outcome, such as:

Abnormal AFP (alpha fetoprotein) blood test
Twins, triplets or more
Recurrent pre-term labor and delivery
Premature rupture of membranes
Recurrent pregnancy loss
Suspected fetal growth restriction

DCH NICU and PICU

Learn about the Driscoll Children's Hospital Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units.

NICU (English) - NICU (Spanish)

PICU (English) - PICU (Spanish)

Doctors

Locations

Refer a Patient

Seamless Specialist Care

Visit all your child's specialists in one trip to Driscoll Children's Hospital.

Contact any of our specialty clinics to schedule a convenient one-day visit to all your child’s specialists.

Call 361-694-5000 or your
specialty clinic.