High-Risk Pregnancy Care

Certain medical conditions during pregnancy can jeopardize your health and the health of your unborn baby. If you have one of these conditions, your pregnancy is high-risk. A high-risk pregnancy may lead to a premature birth before the 37th week of pregnancy.

At Penn Medicine, you receive specialized care from maternal-fetal medicine specialists. Families with medically complex pregnancies from across the region come to us for our expertise.

What Is a High-Risk Pregnancy?

Your doctor may consider your pregnancy high-risk if you have:

• Advanced age (older than 35) or young age (teens)
• Chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, HIV or autoimmune disease
• Multiple babies (twins, triplets or more)
• Previous history of premature birth, pregnancy complications or pregnancy loss
• Unborn baby with a genetic disorder or condition that develops during pregnancy
• Weight problems, such as obesity or disordered eating

What Is a High-Risk Pregnancy Specialist?

Maternal-fetal medicine specialists are OB-GYNs who specialize in difficult pregnancies. You may also know them as perinatologists. The maternal-fetal medicine specialists at Penn support your family throughout pregnancy and childbirth.

High-Risk Pregnancy Services at Penn Medicine: Why Choose Us?

We strive to make your pregnancy as worry-free as possible. You have access to:

• Advanced diagnostic services: We perform a high volume of prenatal diagnostic tests — more than 15,000 every year. We know which tests provide information that helps us (and you) make educated decisions about your care.
• Genetic counseling and services: We offer prenatal genetic diagnosis and screenings to assess pregnancy complications and infant health risks. Should we detect an issue, we help you make a plan, with support from our counselors.
• Premature birth prevention program: Our Prematurity Prevention Program helps lower your risk of giving birth too early.
• Specialized newborn care: Premature babies and newborns with medical problems receive advanced medical care at our neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). We staff our NICUs with Penn specialists and doctors from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
• Emergency care: We offer 24/7 emergency care specifically for pregnant women at our perinatal evaluation centers. If you’re experiencing problems, we quickly assess your situation and admit you to the hospital if needed.
• Emotional support: Our women’s behavioral wellness counselors support you if you’re facing a complicated pregnancy. We also help families manage the stress of caring for a child with medical problems or special needs.
• Specialized Maternal Heart Care: The Pregnancy and Heart Disease Program brings together experts in high-risk pregnancies and women’s heart health to provide expert care before, during and after pregnancy.
• Dedicated team of pregnancy and diabetes experts: The Perinatal Diabetes Program provides personalized care from maternal-fetal medicine specialists who have additional education and training in diabetes management. 

Request an Appointment

To request an appointment, please call 800-789-7366 or complete our online form.