Care is provided for both the mother and fetus in a complicated pregnancy. The MFM specialist also provides education and research concerning the most recent approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of obstetrical problems. This promotes societal awareness of the diagnostic and therapeutic techniques available for the optimal management of complicated pregnancies. The type of practice varies. The sequence of the name Maternal-Fetal Medicine is deliberate.
Mothers are essential and the loss of a mother is a devastating tragedy.
Maternal mortality is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days after delivery. The leading causes of death are blood loss, hypertensive disease, blood clots in major vessels, infection, and anesthetic accidents. Reliable records on maternal deaths have only been available since the mid-19th century. High maternal death rates were the rule until the 1930s when they began a rapid decline. One hundred years ago the chance of dying from pregnancy related causes was 1 in 200.