Fetal medicine unit

Our fetal medicine unit cares for those with high risk pregnancies and babies.

Who are we

The Fetal Medicine Unit (FMU) is led by a team of highly skilled specialist consultants and doctors that offer diagnosis and treatment of complications which may arise in unborn babies. Midwives form part of the team within FMU and are available for routine and specialist midwifery advice and support whilst you have care within FMU. Our dedicated Maternity Support Workers and administration staff support the running of the department.

We aim to provide the highest standard of care in a professional, calm and supportive environment.

Our multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach ensures we offer individualised care for pregnant people and their families, when there is a concern for the health of an unborn baby.

We work with consultants and nurse specialists from clinical genetics, neonatology, paediatric surgery, paediatric cardiology, paediatric neurosurgery, paediatric neurology and paediatric nephrology.

The unit is one of 15 specialised fetal medicine centres across the country. We provide care to pregnant people and their families who live within the North East and Cumbria region.

What do we offer

We operate a weekday service. The Fetal Medicine Unit provides comprehensive care throughout pregnancy in the diagnosis and management of all fetal conditions.

Our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Paediatric Surgical Unit and Children’s Heart Unit are recognised centres of excellence and allow us to offer unrivalled antenatal and postnatal care.

Offer expert ultrasound in the confirmation and diagnosis when concerns have been raised over unexpected findings on your routine antenatal ultrasound scan
Provide information, support, referral and signposting to relevant services
Offer a range of tests to support diagnosis
Liaise with your local hospital to enable appropriate care to be provided
Arrange delivery for those babies likely to require specialist care after birth
Undertake specialist procedures, such a fetal blood transfusions where necessary
Assess multiple pregnancies (twins and triplets) for possible complications and provide onward referral to other specialist centres

The Royal Victoria Infirmary is a teaching and training hospital, there may be visiting doctors, medical students and student midwives. If you feel uncomfortable with this please let the fetal medicine team know.

Whilst every effort is made to see you on time, due to the nature of clinic, we may experience delays. You will be kept informed of when you are likely to be seen.

We understand that you may be anxious about you appointment and would encourage you to contact us and speak to one of our midwives. It is also important to maintain your routine community midwife and local maternity team appointments.

What to expect from your appointment

You are welcome to bring another adult with you. On the day of your appointment, please attend the Fetal Medicine reception desk at your allocated appointment time where we will register your attendance.

You will be greeted by a member of the team and welcomed to one of our recently refurbished private rooms for a consultation prior to your scan.

We will then accompany you to the scan room where your ultrasound scan will be undertaken by a Fetal Medicine Consultant and / or member of the Fetal Medicine team.

After the scan, you will have the findings explained and given time to ask questions. We will discuss all relevant options for you, and together, a personalised plan of care will be made.

Whilst every effort is made to see you on time, due to the nature of clinic, we may experience delays. We aim to keep you informed of when you are likely to be seen.

Specialist clinics in fetal medicine

Clinical genetics

These clinics are run jointly by the Northern Genetics Service and Fetal Medicine. You may be referred to this clinic if you have a history of a genetic condition in your family or the suspicion of a genetic condition in your pregnancy.

Fetal Neurology

This is a joint clinic, run by a fetal medicine consultant (with a specialist interest in fetal neurology) and the paediatric neurologist and neurosurgical consultants. A referral to this clinic would be made after a diagnosis of a serious fetal brain or spinal cord condition.

They will typically carry out an ultrasound assessment (sometimes involving the offer of a vaginal scan to obtain the detail required to provide you with information about your baby’s condition). They are able to review specialist imaging (such as MRI scans) and talk with you about the outlook for baby and make a personalised plan of care.

Fetal Surgery

This is a joint clinic, run monthly, by the fetal medicine team, neonatology and surgical consultants. The clinic is for babies with a suspected problem that may require surgery after birth. The aim of the clinic is to provide information about the care you and your baby are likely to receive at delivery, on the neonatal / paediatric surgical unit, through to childhood.

Some babies, in certain conditions, can be offered onward referral for surgery whilst the baby is still in the womb. Your consultant will discuss this with you if applicable.

Fetal Renal

This is a monthly clinic, run jointly with the fetal medicine team and the Children’s renal team (Paediatric nephrology). The clinic is for babies with an antenatal diagnosis of concerns with the kidneys that may require further investigations or surgery after birth.

The renal team will be able to coordinate the care and follow up following the birth of your baby.

Fetal Echocardiography

These clinics are run by Consultant Cardiologists with a specialist interest in fetal hearts. You may be referred for screening (a detailed scan of your baby’s heart) if you are deemed at a higher chance of having a baby with a cardiac condition.

We also run a joint fetal medicine / echocardiography clinic when a fetal heart condition has been confirmed. These clinics are led by a Fetal Medicine Consultant and Cardiology Consultant with support from the Children’s Cardiac nurse specialist team.

Placenta Clinic

This clinic is run by a midwife sonographer who specialises in the diagnosis of abnormal invasive placentation (also known as placenta accrete spectrum). This is a rare condition where the placenta implants too deeply or firmly. You may be referred to this clinic for screening if you have had previous surgery to your womb or a previous C-section (s) with a placenta that has implanted near the scar area in the womb.

It is very important to attend this appointment with a full bladder. You may be referred on to a fetal medicine consultant and be offered further imaging to look at your placenta in more detail if necessary.

What tests may be offered?

The most common investigations that we offer are an amniocentesis or a chorionic villus biopsy. These tests involve having a needle passed into the womb to take a sample to enable genetic tests to be undertaken on your baby, if you wish.

1. If you have been offered an invasive test because you have a family history of a known genetic condition, you may find this video helpful

This video is also available in Arabic, Romanian, Polish, Punjabi and Urdu.

Corresponding written information can be found in the resources section.

2. If you have been offered an invasive test because you have received a higher chance result of having a baby with a genetic condition after an antenatal screening test, you may find this video helpful

This video is also available in Arabic, Romanian, Polish, Punjabi and Urdu.

Corresponding written information can be found in the resources section.

3. If you have been offered an invasive test because there has been an unexpected finding on your ultrasound scan that may be associated with a genetic condition, you may find this video helpful.

This video is also available in Arabic, Romanian, Polish, Punjabi and Urdu.
Corresponding written information can be found in the resources section.

Various blood tests are commonly offered, your Consultant or fetal medicine midwife will discuss these in detail with you if they are deemed relevant to your care.

Fetal MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) allows detailed imaging of your unborn baby or placenta when the ultrasound scan has detected a problem or there is a family history of previous problems. MRI is used to obtain images that complement the ultrasound images and are used to work out what the problem and likely outcome is. The MRI scan is deemed safe during pregnancy.

Patient information leaflets

How to find us

Royal Victoria Infirmary
Level 4
Leazes Wing
Richardson Road
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 4LP

Contact us

Telephone: 0191 282 5837

Useful websites

Click here to see a list of useful fetal medicine websites and what they offer

Antenatal results and choices: ARC is a charity that provides impartial information and no-directive support to parents who received antenatal test results that show their baby may not be developing as expected.

British Heart Foundation: Information and support for parents when a congenital heart problem has been diagnosed

Cleft lip and palate association: CLAPA is a charity that works to help people with a cleft lip and palate in the UK.

Down’s syndrome association: A national organisation, committed to improving the quality of life for people who have Down’s syndrome

Fetal MRI: Helpful information produced by Sheffield teaching hospital relating to having a fetal MRI scan of your unborn baby or placenta

NHS Choices: Your complete guide to conditions, symptoms and treatments, including what to do and when to get help

Newcastle Hospitals Cleft lip and palate service: Providing information relating to the specialised care, treatment and support for babies, children and adults with cleft lip and palate

Reach: Helping children with upper limb differences live life without limits

Shine: Providing advice and support for spina bifida and hydrocephalus

SOFT UK: Supporting families with trisomies 13 and 18

STEPS WORLDWIDE: Leading charity working for those whose lives are affected by childhood lower limb conditions.

Turner syndrome support society: Providing information on Turner syndrome

Tiny lives: Tour of Newcastle RVI’s Neonatal unit