The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), www.smfm.org, located in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, is a not-for-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 of over 2,000 members that are dedicated to improving perinatal care.

Board (American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology) certified maternal-fetal medicine

Maternal-fetal medicine

Maternal-Fetal medicine is the branch of obstetrics that focuses on the medical and surgical management of high-risk pregnancies. Management includes monitoring and treatment including comprehensive ultrasound, chorionic villus sampling, genetic amniocentesis, and fetal surgery or treatment....

 sub-specialists have an additional two-three years training in MFM. The Society's primary objectives are to promote and expand research and education in maternal-fetal medicine. Congenital heart defects, genetic disorder

Genetic disorder

A genetic disorder is an illness caused by abnormalities in genes or chromosomes, especially a condition that is present from before birth. Most genetic disorders are quite rare and affect one person in every several thousands or millions....

s, preeclampsia, and complications of preterm labor and delivery

Premature birth

In humans preterm birth refers to the birth of a baby of less than 37 weeks gestational age. The cause for preterm birth is in many situations elusive and unknown; many factors appear to be associated with the development of preterm birth, making the reduction of preterm birth a challenging...

are a few examples of disorders that maternal-fetal medicine sub-specialists treat.