Select a Program at Montefiore Medical Center CLINICAL SERVICES • Allergy and Immunology • Centers of Excellence • Chemical Dependency Program • Clinical Diabetes Center • Cough Center • Critical Care Medicine • Dentistry • Dermatology • Emergency Medicine • Endocrinology • Family and Social Medicine • Gastroenterology • Geriatrics • Headache Center • Hematology • Hyperbaric Medicine • In It Together Fund • Infectious Diseases • Kidney Transplant Program • Montefiore Home Care • Montefiore Institute for Reproductive Medicine • Montefiore Medical Group • Montefiore Medical Specialists • Montefiore-Einstein Liver Center • Nephrology • Neurology • Neuromuscular Disease • Nuclear Medicine • Pathology • Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences • Pulmonary Medicine • Radiology • Rehabilitation Medicine • Rheumatology • Sleep-Wake Disorders Center • Substance Abuse Treatment Program • Urgent Care Services • Urology MONTEFIORE-EINSTEIN HEART CENTER • Cardiac Rehabilitation and Recovery • Cardiology • Cardiothoracic Surgery • Contact the Heart Center • Heart Center Video Gallery • Innovations & Insights MONTEFIORE-EINSTEIN CENTER FOR CANCER CARE • Breast Cancer • Clinical Trials • Colorectal Cancer • Gastrointestinal Oncology • Gynecologic Oncology • Head & Neck Cancer Program • Lung Cancer • Prevention and Support • Radiation Oncology • Robotic Prostate Surgery • Sarcoma and Connective Tissue Oncology Center • Surgical Departments at Montefiore • Surgical Oncology • Translational Research • Urological Oncology CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AT MONTEFIORE WOMEN'S HEALTH AT MONTEFIORE • Childbirth • Family Planning & Birth Control • Fibroid Center • Genetic Counseling • Group Prenatal Care • High-Risk Pregnancy • Infertility - Reproductive Medicine • Menopause & Aging • Obstetrics & Gynecology • Preconceptual Counseling & Testing • Reproductive Genetics & Prenatal Genetic Testing • Urogynecology SURGICAL DEPARTMENTS AT MONTEFIORE • Breast Surgery • Montefiore Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery • Neurological Surgery • Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery • Orthopaedic Surgery • Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery • Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery • Surgery • Transplant Center • Urologic Surgery • Vascular Disease Management • Weight Reduction (Bariatric) Surgery CLINICAL DEPARTMENTS AT MONTEFIORE PROFESSIONALS • Department of Anesthesiology • Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery • Department of Dentistry • Department of Emergency Medicine • Department of Family and Social Medicine • Department of Medicine • Department of Neurology • Department of Neurosurgery • Department of Nuclear Medicine • Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health • Department of Oncology • Department of Ophthalmology • Department of Orthopaedic Surgery • Department of Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) • Department of Pathology • Department of Pharmacy • Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences • Department of Radiation Oncology • Department of Radiology • Department of Rehabilitation Medicine • Department of Surgery • Department of Urology

Preconceptual Counseling & Testing

At Montefiore, we are committed to the idea that a healthy mother is key to delivering a healthy baby. Our Preconception Care program helps women ensure they are in optimal health before they become pregnant or prepare for in-vitro fertilization. We support all women, no matter what their particular needs, in approaching pregnancy and childbirth with good health and peace of mind.

Advanced preconception care

Montefiore is the proud recipient of a March of Dimes grant, with which we have fully funded our Center for Preconception and Inter-Conception Care. This new program reaches out to women who are between pregnancies or have yet to become pregnant.

Preconception testing benefits women being treated for a condition such as sickle cell anemia, hypertension, heart disease or diabetes that may cause a high-risk pregnancy. Screening and preconception care can minimize complications for mother and fetus later on. Women seeking preconception counseling not because of special issues but in order to be well-prepared for pregnancy are also welcome.

Ensuring total wellness

The first step in preconception care is a complete health screening. Several appointments may be required to ensure thorough testing, but this comprehensive process reaps multiple benefits for each woman and her future child. Our preconception care screening covers:

• A complete medical history
• Pap smear test
• Cholesterol screening
• Diabetes screening
• HIV and STD screening
• Standard health maintenance screening
• Immunization status, including rubella, tetanus, Hepatitis B vaccine
• Family history review for potential genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia 
• Screening for alcohol and drug use, including over-the-counter medications
• Domestic violence screening
• Nutritional status assessment to determine optimum weight

Careful planning for healthy pregnancy

After women have received a complete checkup and health assessment, our doctors help them set individual, realistic goals for improving their health before and during pregnancy. Sample objectives might be to lose a specific amount of weight before conceiving or learn how to better manage a chronic condition such as lupus or diabetes.

Such careful planning allows women to avoid complications that can occur when a chronic condition worsens during pregnancy. Women are also educated about the best nutritional and medical means of ensuring a healthy pregnancy, such as taking folic acid before they conceive to reduce the risk of spina bifida and other neural tube defects.

Counseling for pregnancy problems

Our expert staff pays special attention to women who have experienced difficulties with conception or carrying a child to term. Those women identified as having a condition that makes a healthy pregnancy unlikely are counseled on their options and supported through their decision. We evaluate women with a history of miscarriage, premature birth or still birth with the goal of helping them achieve a full-term pregnancy and healthy baby in the future.

Childbirth

Family Planning & Birth Control

Fibroid Center

Genetic Counseling

Group Prenatal Care

High-Risk Pregnancy

Infertility - Reproductive Medicine

Menopause & Aging

Obstetrics & Gynecology

Preconceptual Counseling & Testing

Reproductive Genetics & Prenatal Genetic Testing

Urogynecology

Hand Washing

Cancer Types - Lung Cancer

Radon

Sebaceous Cysts

Traveling With Chronic Conditions

Disorders of the Pancreas

Cryptosporidiosis

Hepatitis C

Torn Meniscus

Genetics and Cancer - Description of Genetics