The Center for Perinatal Care has been a joint program of the University of Wisconsin - Madison (UW) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Meriter Hospital for almost three decades. The Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) subspecialists, Drs. Sabine Droste, Dinesh Shah, and Katharina Stewart provide assessments and treatment for women with medical, genetic, and surgical conditions that complicate pregnancy through our high-risk obstetrical clinic. Inpatient care is delivered exclusively at Meriter Hospital, which is an advanced-tertiary center for maternal and neonatal transports. In a multidisciplinary-team approach, intensive perinatal care is provided for a full range of complex medical conditions that affect the mother and fetus. The MFMs work with referring physicians from Wisconsin and Northern Illinois to ensure their patients access to a full spectrum of specialized care. Their mission is to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality.

The Center's team, in addition to the perinatologists, includes neonatologists, genetic counselors, ultrasonographers, nurse clinicians, a diabetic nurse educator, dietitians, social workers, and pastoral care providers. Also, the University of Wisconsin Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has two American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG)-approved training programs: A Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship and an Obstetrics and Gynecology residency.

Our comprehensive clinical MFM program includes a full complement of high-risk pregnancy management and prenatal diagnostic services. The Diabetes in Pregnancy Program provides diabetes care and education from preconception to post-delivery. The Meriter Diabetes Self-Management Education Program has been recognized by the American Diabetes Association for Quality Self-Management Education*. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Meriter Hospital is the University's exclusive tertiary-care unit for sick newborns. UW pediatric subspecialists, including pediatric and cardiovascular surgeons, completes the comprehensive spectrum of care for these infants.

Our Prenatal Diagnosis unit is a state-of-the-art unit that is accredited by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM), and it is the only facility in the region to be AIUM-accredited. In addition to the MFM subspecialists and fellows, the unit is staffed with six sonographers and three genetic counselors. We have three 3D/4D-capable diagnostic rooms. Invasive diagnostic procedures including chorionic villus sampling, fetal blood sampling, and transfusion are offered. We also provide first trimester screening, advanced targeted sonography, personalized preconception genetic risk assessments, genetic sonograms, genetic counseling, and teratogen information. Our specialists assess fetal well-being through fetal monitoring, fetal biophysical profiles, and Doppler assessment of maternal uterine, umbilical, and other fetal vessels. In collaboration with UW Pediatric Cardiology, fetal echocardiography services are also available.

The UW Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Reproductive Sciences Division and the Center for Perinatal Care have long been recognized, nationally and internationally, for participation in research in maternal, fetal, and neonatal physiology. This research is performed in a state-of-the-art research facility at Meriter. The Reproductive Sciences Division consists of eight bench scientists and one physician-scientist. Two of the scientists are also members of the UW Primate Center. The research focuses on perinatal vascular biology, which complements the current research interests of the MFM division in the pathogenic mechanisms of preeclampsia. Participation in research studies has the benefit of setting the highest standards of clinical excellence.