For a woman who wants to start a family, hearing the news, “You’re pregnant” will be one of the happiest moments of her life. But that joy may be accompanied by worry if she has a medical condition that could put her and her baby at risk.

What does high-risk pregnancy mean?
“High-risk refers to pregnancies where the mother or baby are at a higher-than-average risk of experiencing complications,” says William Meyer, MD, a maternal fetal medicine specialist with Adventist Hinsdale Hospital. This includes pregnancies where:

• The mother has cancer or a chronic medical condition, such as diabetes or hypertension.
• The baby has a fetal abnormality, such as Down syndrome.
• The mother is having a multiple-birth pregnancy.
• The mother has a history of pregnancy-related complications.
• The mother has a history of pregnancy loss.

In the past, women in the Western Chicagoland suburbs traveled to university hospitals in the city to receive the specialized care they needed for high-risk pregnancies. And while leaving their communities, they also had to leave their personal obstetrician gynecologists (OB/GYNs). Thankfully, they now have more options close to home.

As founder of the first Maternal Fetal Medicine Center in DuPage County, Adventist Hinsdale Hospital can offer women the care they need, while working with their personal OB/GYNs. “We create a management plan together so we are in sync with the patient’s goals,” Dr. Meyer says. “Maternal fetal medicine specialists will manage a woman’s medical and fetal conditions, but her OB/GYN will continue to see her for routine prenatal visits and deliver the baby.”

A personalized care team
In addition to women working with a maternal fetal medicine specialist and their personal OB/GYN, they also have access to other specialists, including specially trained nurses, genetic counselors, obstetric ultrasonographers, dieticians, diabetic educators and specialists in pediatric surgery and neonatology. “We organize conferences between families and their care teams to outline the processes during the pregnancy, delivery and life afterwards,” Dr. Meyer says.

The Maternal Fetal Medicine Center offers expectant mothers the latest advancements in pregnancy screenings and tests, including:

Nuchal translucency, which screens pregnancies with Down syndrome and Trisomy 13 and 18. Blood tests are coupled with an ultrasound, done at 13 weeks, to measure the thickness of a fluid layer behind the baby’s neck. “This is the most accurate, non-invasive screening for these chromosomal abnormalities,” Dr. Meyer says. “Because we can perform this so early in a woman’s pregnancy, we can give her more options if she wants to pursue more aggressive testing, such as early diagnostic testing or amniocentesis.” Adventist Hinsdale Hospital was the first in Chicago’s Western suburbs to offer patients this test 10 years ago.

Level 2 ultrasound, which provides detailed assessments of fetal development and anatomy. Physicians will sometimes suggest this advanced screening if there is a family history of birth defects, if the mother is age 35 or older or if a standard ultrasound needs further clarification.

To optimize the health of mothers and their babies, Dr. Meyer suggests women see their physicians even before conception. “We want to prepare our patients for pregnancy by helping them identify any potential risk factors,” Dr. Meyer says.

For more information, or to find a physician, call us at 866-533-7968.