Maternal and fetal medicine deals with women patients who have complications of pregnancy. An obstetrician/ gynecologist treats women with high-risk or complicated pregnancies. A high-risk pregnancy, where the mother and fetus need special monitoring and medical care, may be a result of the mother’s diabetes, high blood pressure, or a seizure disorder. The fetus may have genetic disorders, or other problems that affect its development.

Sometimes if a woman is pregnant with twins or triplets or more, she may have additional health problems, or she may have a history of pregnancy complications. The obstetrician/gynecologist has special knowledge and skills to deal with these health problems and work with the mother toward the safe delivery of a healthy baby.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. The United States has 2,155 practicing maternal & fetal medicine doctors. Broken out by state, maternal & fetal medicine doctor density in Alabama is 27, in Alaska is 3, in Arizona is 50, in Arkansas is 6, in California is 270, in Colorado is 38, in Connecticut is 50, in Delaware is 5, in District of Columbia is 15, in Florida is 91, in Georgia is 56, in Hawaii is 13, in Idaho is 7, in Illinois is 101, in Indiana is 27, in Iowa is 17, in Kansas is 12, in Kentucky is 41, in Louisiana is 25, in Maine is 5, in Maryland is 68, in Massachusetts is 73, in Michigan is 76, in Minnesota is 30, in Mississippi is 14, in Missouri is 63, in Montana is 5, in Nebraska is 14, in Nevada is 26, in New Hampshire is 9, in New Jersey is 114, in New Mexico is 14, in New York is 254, in North Carolina is 71, in Ohio is 92, in Oklahoma is 17, in Oregon is 32, in Pennsylvania is 117, in Rhode Island is 10, in South Carolina is 27, in South Dakota is 6, in Tennessee is 46, in Texas is 155, in Utah is 29, in Vermont is 8, in Virginia is 46, in Washington is 55, in West Virginia is 9, and in Wisconsin is 34.