Having a family is a goal that many women dream of from a young age – from playing house as a child to having names for potential sons and daughters picked out for years ahead of time. The majority of women expect to have a routine pregnancy resulting in the birth of a healthy baby. Some women, however, have medical difficulties and experience what is called a “high-risk” pregnancy. High-risk complications occur in six to eight percent of all pregnancies. Women facing these complications require special attention, and can turn to the experts at Perinatal Center of Iowa (PCI) for care. Located in downtown Des Moines, PCI is a trusted resource for women experiencing high-risk pregnancies. Patients of PCI are under the medical care of maternal-fetal medicine specialists Drs. Neil Mandsager and Joseph Hwang. Also known as perinatologists – or high-risk pregnancy physicians – this sub-specialty of medicine was created in 1973 when the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology identified the need to care for an increasing number of complicated pregnancies. Working closely with the physicians are mid-level providers, Kate Wallace, ARNP, and Amie Dawes, PA-C. Kate and Amie are a vital link between the physicians and patients and are available to answer questions either in person or over the phone to provide additional insight into test results and future treatment options. A unique service PCI offers is a perinatal genetic counselor, Cindy Johnson. Cindy is available to meet with expecting couples planning to start a family to discuss risks and benefits of various prenatal genetic screening and testing options. Cindy discusses family and personal health history with expecting parents to determine the chance a fetal disorder may occur. Based on this information, appropriate options for prenatal testing—explaining the benefits, limitations and risk for each procedure—are discussed with the parents. Together, the entire PCI team specializes in pregnancy management—including delivery for pregnant women who may have medical illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, seizure disorders, autoimmune diseases and blood clotting disorders. Care is also provided for women who are at increased risk for preterm birth—including multiples, women with cervical insufficiency who may require a surgery to prevent preterm birth and women with placental problems. Perinatal Center of Iowa also cares for pregnancies when there is a birth defect for the baby such as spina bifida, cleft lip or palate and congenital heart disease. Finding answers to preterm birth Patients of PCI benefit from the findings of the ground-breaking research studies in which the practice participates. A recent research study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health found the hormone progesterone reduced the rate of preterm birth before week 33 of pregnancy by 45 percent among one category of at-risk women. According to the March of Dimes, one out of eight babies is born pre-term. Perinatal Center of Iowa was the only study location in Iowa. The women studied had a short cervix, which is known to increase the risk for preterm birth. Of the women who were treated with progesterone cream, 8.9 percent delivered before 33 weeks compared to 16.1 percent of women who were assigned a placebo gel. Even though the medical community classifies deliveries before 37 weeks as being premature, the 33-week cutoff was used because babies born before that are more likely to experience health problems than those who are officially premature, but born closer to the normal gestational time of 40 weeks. Welcoming Miles completes one family I look at my beautiful baby boy every day and feel such gratitude for the part PCI played in getting him here safely. It meant the world to us to have PCI doctors and physician’s assistants talk us through each appointment and answer all of our questions. Because of the PCI team, my husband and I were able to bring our sweet little Miles home from the hospital to be with his sisters. I can’t even begin to tell you how blessed my family feels to have been able to have that experience! Thank you Dr. Hwang for giving us this incredible gift; Miles’ delivery was such an awesome experience...he has totally stolen our hearts and completed our family. – Danielle and Nick Waage Learn more. For more information about PCI, please visit www.perinataliowa.com or call (515) 643-6888.