Bridget Winchester, MS, CGC; Ashley Svenson, MS, CGC (she/her)
NSGC appreciates collaboration and partnership across the broader genetics and healthcare ecosystem. As part of this, NSGC is proud to be an ambassador of the inaugural High-Risk Pregnancy Awareness Week, June 1-8, to raise awareness and champion expert care for every complex pregnancy hosted by the Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine (SMFM). High-Risk Pregnancy Week is more than an awareness campaign—it’s a movement to transform the conversation around high-risk pregnancy care. By educating the public, influencing policy, and promoting the visibility of specialists, SMFM and its ambassadors hope to drive meaningful change for maternal and fetal health.
We are honored to elevate our maternal fetal medicine (MFM) specialist colleagues who many of us work alongside to provide the most up-to-date and compassionate care for our shared patients. MFM specialists manage a wide range of conditions that require advanced expertise during pregnancy or during the preconception period. Examples of situations that may require an MFM specialist include pre-eclampsia/hypertension, preterm birth history, fetal anomalies, twins/ triplets/higher-order multiples, placental complications, and chronic disease in the pregnant patient. To find an MFM specialist near you: Find an MFM - Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
There are multiple ways that genetic counselors can amplify and participate in High-Risk Pregnancy week.
One way is to take advantage of the myriad educational opportunities offered by SMFM for healthcare professionals who care for high-risk pregnancies.
- At Online Learning, SMFM offers clinical webinars, on-demand podcasts, MFM fellow lectures and online courses on a variety of topics that may be of interest to genetic counselors such as sickle cell disease in pregnancy, fetal therapy and palliative care misinformation, and manuscript writing gamification.
- By visiting Publications, counselors can find all of SMFM’s high quality guidelines and statements, such as Consult Series #74: Cell-free DNA screening for aneuploidies.
Genetic Counselors can also explore SMFM’s practice resources, such as their downloadable fact sheets on many high-risk pregnancy topics that can be printed and given to patients. In addition, SMFM has a vetted list of Support Organizations that can be shared with patients and families who might find it therapeutic to connect with other patients and survivors facing similar high-risk pregnancy complications.
This week is also an opportunity to promote the crucial advocacy work that SMFM does at the federal level and in states across the country to advance optimal and equitable perinatal and reproductive health. Please check Advocacy Hub to learn more about SMFM’s 2026-2027 legislative priorities, recent advocacy activities, and stay up-to-date on relevant legislative activity in your state with their state policy tracker. Of note, NSGC recently partnered with SMFM and other professional organizations on two statements regarding the recent Supreme Court decision on mifepristone.
Additionally, SMFM is hosting two upcoming Hill Briefings that partners are welcome to attend, Assessing and using maternal mortality data on June 1, 3pm ET and Safer Treatments, Healthier Families: Closing the Drug Development Gap for Pregnant and Lactating Patients on June 5, 10am ET.
As we recognize the first ever High-Risk Pregnancy Awareness Week, NSGC is proud to stand alongside SMFM and other partners to promote expert care for pregnancies requiring advanced expertise. The care of individuals experiencing high-risk pregnancies demands collaboration across specialties, and genetic counselors play an important role as members of the multidisciplinary care team.
We encourage NSGC members to engage with the educational, advocacy, and patient resources highlighted in this article, amplify awareness efforts within their own institutions and communities, and continue fostering partnerships that improve outcomes for pregnant patients and their families. Let’s help do our part to ensure that every individual facing a complex pregnancy has access to the advanced level of care they need.
SMFM Partner Briefing: Assessing and using maternal mortality data
Join SMFM on June 1, 2026, from 3pm to 4pm ET for a partner briefing on our new Special Statement: Assessing and using maternal mortality data.
Collecting and examining maternal mortality data is crucial to understanding the drivers of mortality, developing data-driven policy and interventions, improving health equity, and preventing future tragedies. However, the most common US data sources vary in the information they collect, which can create challenges when assessing and using the data.
During this briefing, SMFM staff will discuss the different types of maternal mortality data in the US and the most common data sources, as well as important considerations when using and referencing data in your work and when advocating for maternal health policy and programs. Staff will also incorporate brief data updates on the latest data from the Pregnancy Monitoring Surveillance System (PMSS) and the Maternal Mortality Review Information App (MMRIA).
Register for the virtual partner briefing here
Safer Treatments, Healthier Families: Closing the Drug Development Gap for Pregnant and Lactating Patients (Hill Briefing)
Join SMFM on June 5, 2026, from 10am to 11am ET for a Hill briefing on drug development for pregnant and lactating patients.
Nearly 90% of pregnant women use at least one medication during pregnancy, yet most drug labels lack pregnancy-specific safety or efficacy data, leaving clinicians and patients to make critical decisions without pregnancy-specific safety or efficacy data to guide them.
This briefing will examine the gaps driving this problem, highlight federal initiatives addressing them, and discuss bipartisan legislative solutions to improve data generation and ensure that pregnant and lactating patients have access to safe, effective treatments.
Register for the virtual Hill briefing here
Free Lecture links
Bridget Winchester, MS, CGC is a queer, prenatal genetic counselor at Minnesota Perinatal Physicians and Midwest Fetal Care Center with Allina Health in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2020 with her MS in genetic counseling. Bridget is a current member of the Clinician Abortion & Reproductive Health Access (CARA) Taskforce as a liaison for the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC).
Ashley Svenson, MS, CGC (she/her) is a Medical Policy Director at Myriad Genetics, where she focuses on national health plan and state Medicaid policy, bringing two decades of experience in prenatal genetics and the laboratory industry. She previously served as Chair of the NSGC Practice Guideline Committee and currently serves as an NSGC liaison to the Clinician Abortion & Reproductive Health Access TaskForce (CARA) TaskForce.