Specialized Services

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Finding out that you are pregnant with twins or multiples is certainly an exciting piece of news. But it is also normal to have mixed emotions about your pregnancy, ranging from great joy to great anxiety. The UCSF Twins and More Program specializes in providing obstetrical care and support to women with twins, triplets or more, to make their pregnancy a positive and exciting experience.

There are many issues that are unique to multiple pregnancies. Some multiple pregnancies are conceived naturally, while others are the result of reproductive technology. Regardless of how they occur, all multiple pregnancies are considered high-risk, from both a medical and emotional point of view.

Our obstetricians, perinatologists, midwives, and other healthcare professionals, will help guide you and your family through each trimester of your higher-risk pregnancy. They also have special training and experience caring for mothers who are considered high-risk because of factors, such as pre-eclampsia, a history of pre-term labor or incompetent cervix, as well as other illnesses or medical complications.

The UCSF Twins and More Program offers a comprehensive package of perinatal and post-partum specialized services to women pregnant with twins or more. These include:

• High-risk perinatalogy care
• First trimester combined screening for chromosome abnormalities
• Classes on twins or more
• Lactation specialists with training for twins or more
• Mental health support for issues specific to women with multiples, including post-partum depression
• Genetics and prenatal diagnosis services
• Delivery options
• Antenatal testing
• Diabetes in Pregnancy program
• Fetal treatment if in-vitro surgery is needed

One of the reasons multiple pregnancies are considered higher risk is because 50 percent of them deliver prematurely. A premature deliver occurs prior to 37 weeks of gestation, while a normal full-term pregnancy lasts 38 to 42 weeks. Every effort is made to prolong your pregnancy as long as possible, to reduce some of the risks that may occur when babies are delivered prematurely. Premature infants may have problems with breathing and digesting.

In instances when newborns require the medical care of a neonatology specialist because they are born prematurely or experience other problems at birth, access to renowned experts and specialized services is available at the UCSF Children's Hospital, on the same floor as the Birth Center.

In addition, UCSF Children's Hospital also has an Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) -- one of the first of its kind -- where critically ill newborns are cared for by doctors, nurses and staff who are among the most experienced neonatology specialists. The care provided at the ICN is family-centered, meaning our health professionals work to provide care that revolves around patients' families. Parents are encouraged to spend as much time as possible with their babies while in the ICN.

Read about one couple's experience with the Twins and More Program in our Patient Profiles.

For more information on the UCSF Twins and More Program, please call (415) 353-2562.