News

Being Exposed to Wildfire Smoke Increases Risk of Going into Labor Prematurely

San Francisco, Calif. ― The detrimental effects of poor air quality on a person’s health are well documented. In pregnant people, research has shown that poor air quality, such as smog, can lead to a number of adverse outcomes, including preterm birth (PTB), one of the leading causes of... Continue Reading

Study of FDA-cleared Device to Treat Postpartum Hemorrhage Finds Device Highly Safe and Effective

Novel Device Offers Care Teams Another Way to Manage this Potentially Life-threatening Condition San Francisco, Calif. ― Postpartum hemorrhage — severe bleeding after childbirth — is a leading cause of maternal deaths worldwide. There have been few innovations in treatment in recent... Continue Reading

Single Dose of Antibiotic Given During Labor Significantly Reduced Risk of Maternal Death or Sepsis

San Francisco, Calif. ― Sepsis — a severe infection in the body that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death — is among the top causes of maternal deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It is a life-threatening emergency that is largely... Continue Reading

People Who Use Cannabis Early in Pregnancy Are At Increased Risk of Poor Pregnancy Outcomes

San Francisco, Calif. ― As more states legalize marijuana for recreational use, researchers are looking into the potential health effects of cannabis use during pregnancy. In a new study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy... Continue Reading

Doctors and Advocates React to Release of Texas Maternal Mortality Review Committee Report

AUSTIN, TX – Yesterday, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (MMMRC) jointly released a report containing the MMMRC’s findings and recommendations for addressing the state’s maternal health crisis.... Continue Reading

Updated ICD-10 Indications for The Performance Of A Fetal Echocardiogram

In the November 2021 issue of the American Journal of Perinatology, ICD-10 indications for Fetal Echocardiogram and Detailed First Trimester Obstetric Ultrasound were published. The abstract was authored by the SMFM Coding Committee and is based on indications published by AIUM and other national... Continue Reading

Obstetric Care Professionals Urge: The Time for Influenza Vaccination is Now

Flu season is here, and many parts of the country are already seeing unprecedented levels of influenza-like illness and confirmed influenza infection. That is why, collectively, the American Academy of Family Physicians; American College of Nurse-Midwives; American College of Obstetricians and... Continue Reading

Billing Scenarios for imaging and aneuploidy screening in the first trimester

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Coding Committee: Vanita Jain, MD; Amie Hollard, MD; Steve Rad MD; Trish Malisch, CCS-P, CPC; Fadi Bsat, MD. Testing for chromosome abnormalities should be an informed patient choice, based on information from a medical provider accounting for the... Continue Reading

Aneuploidy Screening in Twin Pregnancies

Brar B, Iriye B, and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine Practice Management & Coding Committees The Problem Over the last four decades, twin pregnancies have increased from 18.9 per 1,000 births in 1980 to 32.6 per 1,000 births in 2018. (1) With this increase in incidence... Continue Reading

Utah medical professionals support the right to legal abortion

Utah law removes women from their proper role as decision makers Comprehensive reproductive health care includes abortion care. There is ample evidence that timely access to safe and legal abortion improves health outcomes, and barriers to access worsen outcomes. These harms have an especially... Continue Reading

SMFM Joined 75+ Health Care Groups to Oppose Legislative Interference in Patient-Clinician Affairs

Washington, D.C.—The following is a statement from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association, joined by the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine; American Academy of Family Physicians; American Academy of Nursing; American Academy of... Continue Reading

Pregnancy Experts Warn, Restricting Access to Abortion Care Harms Women and Families

June 24, 2022, Washington, DC – The Society for Maternal-Fetal (SMFM) released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a case in which the State of Mississippi asked the Supreme Court to uphold its 15- week... Continue Reading