Maternal and fetal medicine deals with women patients who have complications of pregnancy. An obstetrician/ gynecologist treats women with high-risk or complicated pregnancies. A high-risk pregnancy, where the mother and fetus need special monitoring and medical care, may be a result of the mother’s diabetes, high blood pressure, or a seizure disorder. The fetus may have genetic disorders, or other problems that affect its development.

Sometimes if a woman is pregnant with twins or triplets or more, she may have additional health problems, or she may have a history of pregnancy complications. The obstetrician/gynecologist has special knowledge and skills to deal with these health problems and work with the mother toward the safe delivery of a healthy baby.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Alabama has 27 practicing maternal & fetal medicine doctors. Broken out by city, maternal & fetal medicine doctor density in Bessemer is 1, in Birmingham is 20, in Mobile is 7, in Morris is 1, and in Pell City is 1.

Montgomery is the capital city of this southern state, though Birmingham is its largest city. Population in 2005 was 4,557,808. Alabama is the birthplace of historical figures Hank Aaron, Helen Keller, and George Washington Carver. Take an airboat tour on the Mobile river delta, see the Alabama Civil Rights museum in Mantua, or tour the Jazz Hall of Fame in Birmingham. Visit the Shakespeare Festival Theater Complex in Montgomery, or play a round of golf at one of Alabama’s many acclaimed courses. From the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in the state’s north to the Gulf coast beaches in the south, Alabama’s scenery includes a varied and diverse landscape.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Alabama has a population of 4,557,808. Of this population, 1,074,627 are under the age of 18 and 600,258 are at or above the age of 65.