Outcomes

Outcomes

Goals

We provide integrated care that includes:

  • Maternal-fetal medicine (obstetrics)
  • Adult and pediatric infectious disease medicine
  • Health psychology
  • Nursing
  • Infectious disease pharmacy
  • Social work

Our clinicians will work with you to optimize your health during pregnancy and beyond. There are six core parts of our clinic goals:

Preventing Perinatal Transmission

Our program has delivered hundreds of babies exposed to HIV since it began in 1991. With advances in medications and a focus on empowering patients, transmission of HIV to babies is now rare. Advances in care of pregnant people with HIV have helped prevent other infections, such as hepatitis C, from being transmitted to babies.

Family Planning

Our team provides extensive counseling on your birth control options.

Helping Serodifferent Couples

Serodifferent couples are couples where only one partner has HIV. We work with serodifferent couples to address family planning. Options can include “undetectable = untransmittable” methods, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and sperm washing.

Long-Term HIV Care

We connect our patients to long-term infectious disease care after they give birth. This helps ensure better health. Our team will help you navigate this step to make sure you are successfully connected. In our program, 100% of patients leave with a connection to a long-term HIV clinician.

Empowerment and Education

Extensive perinatal education empowers you to care for your health and family's health during pregnancy and beyond. Our peer education program gives you critical resources and support.

Training the Next Generation

Our clinic integrates students, residents and fellows from many different fields. We share the lessons we learn from our patients about perseverance and dignity.

Advancing Knowledge Through Research

Patients and clinicians actively participate in local and national studies that improve our ability to provide high-quality care to pregnant people and their children affected by HIV, hepatitis and other infections.

Patient Referrals

Our multidisciplinary team can provide a comprehensive consultation for infectious diseases in pregnancy, including:

  • HIV
  • Hepatitis B
  • Hepatitis C
  • Syphilis
  • Cytomegalovirus
  • Toxoplasmosis
  • Varicella
  • Malaria
  • Zika virus

A maternal-fetal medicine physician, along with an infectious disease physician, can provide both in-person and telehealth consultations. We can also help you and your referring clinician navigate any research-related opportunities.

Please call the Northwestern Medicine Infectious Disease Program at 312.926.8358 to schedule a visit.