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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 

Contact Us

Maternal-Fetal Medicine 
4441 Diplomacy Drive 
Anchorage, AK 99508 

Phone 
907-729-1779 

Fax 
907-729-6050 

Hours 
8 a.m.-5 p.m. 

How do I make an appointment? 

A referral from your primary OB provider (OB-GYN doctor or certified nurse midwife) is required prior to scheduling an appointment in the MFM Clinic. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

We are located on the fourth floor of K’kuyaqa Niłtu, 4441 Diplomacy Drive.

You are not able to access the fourth floor from the main entrance/ground floor. If you are driving to your appointment, please park on the fourth floor of the parking garage and utilize the sky bridge at that level to directly access the clinic. If you are staying on campus, we suggest utilizing the campus shuttle, which will drop you off at the basement level of the parking garage where you can use the elevator to access the fourth-floor skybridge.

This depends on several factors. Often, we do not see customer-owners until they reach close to 20 weeks of pregnancy. In order for us to provide a comprehensive evaluation of your baby, the baby needs to be grown enough to view their major physical structures. Depending on your initial diagnosis and review of your referral by the MFM provider, we may ask you to see us earlier than 20-weeks gestation.

Referrals are typically processed within 24-48 hours of receiving complete information. Nurses process referrals and review them with the MFM provider for timing of visits. If you have not received a call to schedule your appointment after three business days, please feel free to call the clinic to check on its status.

It is unlikely that you will require a medical escort for your visit. If you have concerns about attending your MFM Clinic visits alone, you should discuss your need for a medical escort with your referring provider.

Not everyone who has a visit in the MFM Clinic will need to deliver their baby in Anchorage. We work closely with your referring provider and facility to determine the most appropriate place for the health of you and your baby.

If you have been referred for antenatal testing, you have been diagnosed with a condition that may affect your baby. The most common reasons you are referred for antenatal testing are high blood pressure, diabetes, and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (severe itching commonly on the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet). The clinic’s specially trained nurses are able to perform non-invasive studies that can give your provider information about the health of your baby. Depending on your specific diagnosis, we may ask that you come for antenatal testing once or twice per week. You are always encouraged to initiate discussions with your primary OB provider about your diagnoses and possible effects on your baby.

During a non-stress test, the nurse will place two monitors on your stomach, one that tells us if you are having any uterine activity (contractions) and one that will trace your baby’s heart rate. This test requires a minimum of 20 minutes but can last longer at times. Your nurse will explain this test in detail during your first visit. We will also monitor your blood pressure and heart rate during this test.

During a biophysical profile test, the nurse will complete a limited ultrasound exam. This exam can take up to 30 minutes to complete. Your nurse will be watching your baby for movement, tone and practice breathing movements. The nurse will also measure the amount of fluid surrounding your baby. These nurses are not trained to estimate the size of your baby and 3-D ultrasound photos are not possible in this setting.

The information obtained by the clinic during these visits is reported to a provider who ultimately determines if there is the need for any further intervention. The team of providers in Antenatal Testing is able to communicate with your primary OB provider about the results of your fetal surveillance.