How to Find a High Risk OB-GYN

A high-risk OB-GYN is a physician who treats women who have one or more risk factors for a complicated pregnancy. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development notes that age, weight, a previous history of complicated pregnancies or pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure can cause a woman to have a high-risk pregnancy. Physicians who treat women with high-risk pregnancies -- also called maternal-fetal medicine specialists -- are OB-GYNs with special training to help this patient population. Rely on three types of resources to find a maternal-fetal specialist to treat your high-risk pregnancy.

Instructions

1. Use resources developed by professional organizations. Medical associations that represent obstetricians, gynecologists and pregnancy specialists publish tools to help you find a maternal-fetal specialist to treat your high-risk pregnancy. Groups such as the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the American Pregnancy Association and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists all publish directories, provide listings and share information about the maternal-fetal medicine specialists in their organizations who treat high-risk pregnancies. Search tools allow you to find a high-risk OB-GYN by city, state or postal code. With a few mouse clicks, you can produce a list of nearby specialists, along with their full contact information.

2. Contact your nearest community or teaching hospital. Nearly all community and teaching hospitals feature OB-GYN departments that focus on women's health issues in the community; most of these departments hire one or more maternal-fetal medicine specialists to treat high-risk pregnancies. Some hospitals even feature a specific division devoted to maternal-fetal medicine and care for high-risk pregnancies. Contact your hospital's OB-GYN department and ask for a list of maternal-fetal specialists, or visit the hospital's website and search its physician directory for high-risk OB-GYNs.

3. Search patient information portals. Organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Library of Medicine and OBFocus produce patient guides to help educate women who have one or more risk factors for a high-risk pregnancy, and many of these guides include tools to help find a physician specialist. The National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine provide links to tools that can help you locate a high-risk OB-GYN; OBFocus publishes a specific portal for high-risk pregnancies and includes information on how to find a specialist who can treat high-risk pregnancies.

References

• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: High Risk Pregnancy
• St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology: Find a Provider
• University of Pennsylvania OB/GYN Care: Maternal Fetal Medicine
• American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Physician Directory
• American Pregnancy Association: Find an OB/GYN
• Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine: Physician Locator

Resources

• Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine: What is Maternal-Fetal Medicine?
• OBFocus: High Risk Pregnancy Directory