Divisions

Members of the division are located at McMaster Medical Centre and provide services for maternal and fetal complications of pregnancy. Medical complications include chronic hypertension, diabetes, cardiac disease, venous thromboembolic disorders, hematological disorders, pulmonary diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, renal disease, collagen vascular disease and neoplastic disease. The team manages these problems in active collaboration with other specialties and programs such as internal medicine, diabetic day-care, gastroenterology, immunology, microbiology, the thrombosis program and hematology. Fetal complications such as Rh disease, intrauterine growth retardation, macrosomia, polyhydramnios, oligohydramnios, multiple pregnancy, evidence of fetal compromise, fetal malformations and other fetal/placental disorders. Pregnancy complications preterm labor, preterm rupture of the membranes, pregnancy induced hypertension, eclampsia, chorioamnionitis, placental abruption, and other obstetrical complications, prenatal diagnosis, genetics and fetal dysmorphology services are provided for the prenatal detection, evaluation and genetic counseling of patients and/or pregnancies at risk of or complicated by fetal malformations, chromosomal and genetic disorders. Procedures offered include amniocentesis, fetal blood sampling, transabdominal and transcervical chorionic villous sampling and detailed ultrasound evaluation. When fetal anomalies are identified, this service can provide a team approach to the supportive care of fetus, mother and family during the course of pregnancy and the newborn period. The team is unique to each case but often includes neonatology, pediatric genetics and dysmorphology, pediatric nephrology, pediatric neurosurgery and/or neurology, pediatric surgery or social work. The division provides an excellent setting for training of residents in obstetrics and gynecology, residents and fellows in maternal-fetal medicine and neonatology as well as medical students and other learners. The division has a Royal College approved training program in Maternal-Fetal Medicine. The division is also active in a number of exciting, original and collaborative research activities.